


These hands not fit for holding

by theflyinganonymouse



Series: These hands not fit for holding [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: A/B/O dynamic, Abuse, Alpha!Chanyeol, Angst, Bad Decisions, But there's always hope, Eventual Smut, M/M, Non consensual elements, People Being Assholes, Slow Burn, abuse is not between xiuyeol, and is briefly discussed, baby!kyungsoo, baby!sehun, basically everything is a mess, but also being good?, but also fluff, but there is nothing explicit in this story, messy relationships, neither is the non con, non communication, noncon is in the past, omega!minseok, there is some i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-08 19:11:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 84,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7769722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theflyinganonymouse/pseuds/theflyinganonymouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s the scent that first attracts him, but it’s the person behind it that he falls in love with. Chanyeol soon finds out that love is not as simple as just falling into it.</p><p>Or in which alpha!Chanyeol falls for unbonded omega!Minseok</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So my hand slipped and I've now written 30k of this monster. I seriously wonder what I'm doing with my life sometimes. Ah well. 
> 
> Massive thank you to my little sister for reading this fic and being supportive every step of the way. She's on ao3, too, her username is cosmicfox and you guys should definitely check out her stuff!

Chanyeol thinks it’s the scent that attracts his attention first.

It’s warm, kind of earthy and yet spicy at the same time, and Chanyeol thinks it’s the best thing he’s ever smelt. He knows it is all the omega’s own, too, because as much as he sniffs he doesn’t get any hint of an alpha or beta. Which is… puzzling. Because while he’s met unbonded omegas before, he’s never met one who has been unbonded after reaching maturity or at least not in a relationship of some sort. Usually there is the scent of their beta or alpha partner mingling with their own and telling the world that they are strictly _off limits_.

And it’s such an intoxicating smell and he’s so obviously available that Chanyeol can’t help but be interested. He breathes it in and feels something stir in his chest even as he watches the omega get leered at by the customer he’s serving.

There’s a stereotype about unbonded omegas being loose with their affections, flighty and unsettled, and Chanyeol thinks he can see it in the omega. He doesn’t look disgusted by the beta looking him up and down and neither does he do anything about the hand that the beta places on his arm. He smiles instead of shrugging it off and Chanyeol feels a sudden flash of rage, hot and burning, and he has to fight down the urge to rip the beta’s arm from his shoulder.

Some long dormant part of him is screaming _mine, mine, mine_ but he ignores it.

There’s no way that he wants to get involved with someone like that.

Because the omega is skin and bones and faded polyester clothes. He’s chapped lips and dark circles under large, flame-hot eyes that pull and drag Chanyeol in. He isn’t surprised that when their gazes meet for the briefest of moments across the busy restaurant that it feels like someone has started a fire in his chest.

And Chanyeol knows he needs to be rational about this, no matter what his instincts are telling him, but he still finds himself sitting up and puffing his chest out, just waiting for the omega to look back in his direction.

He can still smell him even if he thinks he shouldn’t be able to because Chanyeol has never had a strong sense of smell. But, somehow, he’s able to swallow down the omega’s scent with every breath he takes.

He knows he’s been staring when he receives a swift kick to the shin.

“Shit,” he grinds out as the rest of the world comes back into focus and he returns to himself. Calm and rational. Well, mostly. His leg is throbbing and he’s itching to kick out and take his revenge. “What did you do that for, Baekhyun?”

“Has someone in this dump caught your eye, hmm?” Baekhyun teases because he’s seen who Chanyeol has been looking at, has more than likely picked up his scent.

“Come on, it’s not that bad.” Jongdae says, trying to distract them both with his obvious lie. Joonmyun had, after all, used nearly half a pack of antibacterial wipes on the table when they had first sat down. “Not for this part of town, at least.”

Chanyeol doesn’t doubt that there are worse places that they could have chosen to eat but that doesn’t make this place any nicer. It’s cramped and rundown and the other customers are the kind of people Chanyeol would cross the road to avoid. Their small group sticks out like sore thumbs with their designer clothes and expensive watches.

“Let’s just hope we don’t get mugged on the way out.” Jongin mutters with a sniff.

“Oh, please.” Joonmyun says as if he’s not the biggest snob of them all. “Like entering this part of town automatically means you’re going leave short of all your valuables.”

“Yeah, I think we should be okay, I don’t think any of us were actually stupid enough to wear anything worth over three hundred thousand won.” Baekhyun counters and Joonmyun flushes.  

“Joonmyun hyung’s shoes are worth at least eight hundred thousand.” Jongin says almost gleefully.

“Try a million.” Joonmyun corrects and he’s trying to keep a straight face despite his flaming cheeks.

“This place might be rough,” Chanyeol says as he flicks through the menu, trying for soothing because he knows Joonmyun’s likely to burst a blood vessel if they continue for much longer with their teasing but not really able to help himself, “but I think you’re safe. It’s not like anyone who frequents places like this are going to be able to tell the difference between Versace and-.”

Chanyeol is interrupted by someone clearing their throat and he looks up to see the omega standing at the foot of their table.

And this close he is stunning.

His skin is smooth and pale and it contrasts so beautifully with the black of his hair and his eyes and he’s staring at Chanyeol and Chanyeol feels like he’s being burned alive.

But this isn’t the flirty gaze he had been expecting. This is cold and defiant and Chanyeol knows he’s messed up.

“Can I get you some drinks?” The omega asks and he looks away from Chanyeol’s gaze as if he has no idea of the flames he has fanned.

“Can I get a coke?” Jongdae asks, polite smile already fixed in place.

Baekhyun, however, makes a show of sniffing in the omega’s direction before fixing him with a predatory smile, “aren’t you just a pretty little thing? Such an interesting smell, too. How about I-?”

Chanyeol knows what game Baekhyun is playing and he doesn’t like it. He can feel the alpha in him hiss and spit and rage. He kicks Baekhyun under the table before he can finish and feels an instant rush of gratification at the pain on his face, “ignore him, he’s just being an asshole. Can I get a coke as well, please?”

The omega stiffens and narrows his eyes but takes the rest of their drink orders without any further trouble.

As soon as he’s gone, Chanyeol rounds on Baekhyun, “what did you do that for?”

“I can see why he caught your eye,” Baekhyun grins, “and your nose. He has a very interesting scent. Pretty, too.”

“Shut up.” Chanyeol says.

“A bit skinny, though.” Jongin adds with a sly smirk, “but I bet he’s a good fuck.”

“Did you see the way he swung his hips as he walked away?” Baekhyun lets out a low whistle. “Omegas like that know what they’re doing. He’d chew you up and spit you right back out.”

Joonmyun sighs and Jongdae rolls his eyes and Chanyeol knows that Baekhyun and Jongin are only being this vulgar so that they can get a rise out of him. He knows this, rationally, and yet it still works.

“Can we not talk about this?” Chanyeol snaps.

“Yes, can we stop objectifying omegas, please? Given the reason we’re here and all.” Jongdae says, trying to ease some of the tension that has built up between them.

There’s a moment where it looks like one or more of them might argue but then Baekhyun lets out a breathy chuckle and everything is back to normal, “oh shit, yeah.”

“I swear to god-.” Jongin cuts himself off and instead chooses to punch Baekhyun on the arm to get his point across.

“Sweet baby Jesus, I get it, okay?” Baekhyun rubs at his arm. “No more hitting or kicking, I’m begging you.”

“You started it.” Chanyeol points out.

“Are you twelve?” Jongdae asks even as Joonmyun says, “why can we not have one meal together where it doesn’t descend into hitting each other and calling each other names?”

“Because, _hyung_ ,” Jongin stresses the honorific he hardly ever bothers to use, “that would be boring.”

“Growing up is boring.” Joonmyun counters.

“Which is why I’ve never bothered to do it.” Baekhyun says with a waggle of his eyebrows.

The rest of the meal passes uneventfully by their standards. Baekhyun and Jongin still tease and Baekhyun takes more digs at the omega when he comes to their table, never mind how much Joonmyun and Jongdae scold him. Chanyeol tries not to let it bother him but can’t help the irritation building beneath his skin. It doesn’t help that his eyes seem to be glued to the omega wherever he goes. This means he doesn’t miss the eyes that rake over the omega’s body, can’t deny the pangs of jealousy that course through him whenever the omega smiles at someone that isn’t him.

He’s almost grateful when they’re finished and can finally leave. He doesn’t like the way his heart has been pounding or how his emotions have been all over the place.

He’s looking forward to fresh air and an opportunity to clear his head and then _it_ happens.

There’s the smashing of plates and the clinking of cutlery and Chanyeol knows without looking that the omega will be the cause.

He isn’t wrong.

The omega is being pinned to a table by an alpha much taller and broader than he is. He’s struggling against the hands that are holding him down, the whole restaurant their audience, as the alpha tries to force him to submit, to accept his scent, and something within Chanyeol swells and bursts.

Without thinking he sprints across the restaurant and grabs the offending alpha by the back of his t-shirt and wrenches him off the omega. The alpha twirls around and swings for him but Chanyeol is quicker and he dodges the blow. The alpha squares up to Chanyeol then and Chanyeol meets the challenge head on. He’s got a few inches on the other man but he’s a lot skinnier, too, and has an unimpressive track record having lost the only two fights – both in middle school and both against Jongdae – he’s ever been in. Still, he stands his ground and lets out a deep warning growl, the rumbling in his throat and chest an unfamiliar sensation.

There’s a tense couple of minutes where the world seems to stop spinning and Chanyeol sure he’s going to get his ass handed to him but then the other alpha spits in the omega’s direction and mutters, “you’re not worth the effort, _whore_.”

He leaves then and the tension leaks from the room.

Time seems to catch up and sound returns and Chanyeol is shaking from the sudden burst of adrenaline.

For all that has happened, the omega hardly looks phased. There’s blood streaming from a cut on his hand and bruises already forming on his too thin wrists but he still looks at Chanyeol as if he’s the lowest of the low.

“What’s your problem?” He snaps.

“My problem?” Chanyeol asks and he can’t believe what he’s hearing. “That guy was going to force his scent on you. I saved you.”

The omega snorts, “like I need the help of a rich boy like you.”

But he’s immediately made to swallow his words when an ill-tempered looking man storms from the kitchens, scowl fixed firmly in place and sweat on his face, with one of the other waiters following closely behind looking nervous and pale.

“What’s going on here?” He booms and the omega is immediately jumping to attention, hiding his bleeding hand behind his back. “What have you done this time, Minseok?”

“I’m sorry.”  The omega bows. “There was a-.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” The man – the restaurant owner, Chanyeol guesses – cuts him off. “You’re always causing so much trouble. I don’t know why I keep you around.”

Chanyeol doesn’t like the look the man is giving the omega, an ugly smugness that tells Chanyeol that he knows he’s got the omega right where he wants him.

“Please, Jihoon.” The omega bows even deeper and Chanyeol is surprised to hear his voice tremble after the defiance only a minute ago. “Please, I’m sorry.”

The situation is unnecessarily humiliating, nearly everyone in the restaurant watching, and Chanyeol feels anger build within him once more.

“Your waiter-.” He starts.

But then there’s a small hand circling around his wrist and a quiet voice whispers, “don’t, _please_. I need this job.”

“-has provided excellent service.” Chanyeol finishes, lamely, the anger leaving as quickly as it came.

The owner’s eyes narrow before he waves a hand and turns to head back into the kitchen. Over his shoulder he calls, “those plates are coming out of your wage!”

“Shit.” He hears and the hand lets go of him.

The waiter who had followed the owner from the kitchen approaches them then with a concerned look on his face, “are you okay, Minseok?”

“I’m fine, Yixing.” The omega – Minseok – replies but his brow is creased with worry. “I just...”

“Don’t worry about this, I’ll clear it up.” Yixing says and he gives Minseok a small, uncertain smile. “And we can work something out about the plates later.”

“You should get your hand checked out.” Chanyeol says, pointedly looking at the hand Minseok is now cradling against his chest.

“And you should leave.” Minseok says as Chanyeol’s friends begin to crowd around.

But Chanyeol can’t. He sees how worried Minseok is about the plates, how he can’t seem to drag his eyes away from them when all Chanyeol wants is for Minseok to look at him again. So it is for selfish reasons that Chanyeol digs out his wallet from his jean pocket and pulls a handful of notes out. He holds them out to Minseok, “then here, take this. For the plates.”

Minseok’s eyes flit to Chanyeol’s friends and Chanyeol finds it hard to read what he’s thinking. Finally, his shoulders sag and he takes the money with a quiet, “thank you.”

He doesn’t look at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol forces himself to smile and says, “I’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Please don’t come back.” Minseok says in return but then he meets Chanyeol’s eyes and there’s a spark of _something_ and he knows Minseok doesn’t mean it.

And he’s all Chanyeol can think about.

All the way to the community centre where Jongdae is trying to convince them to volunteer at over the summer – despite the teasing he gets on the way there from the others for releasing his ‘wolf’ – and all through the afternoon.

He imagines the scent of Minseok clinging to his clothes and the warmth of his hand on his wrist and he agrees to spend his summer break at the community centre just so he has an excuse to visit the restaurant again. He doesn’t even know what he’s agreed to do.

And then that night his dreams are filled with small hands and large eyes and that smell, _that smell_ , and he feels like a teenager again when he wakes up the next morning and his sheets are wet and sticky.

“Can we eat lunch at that restaurant again?” Chanyeol asks as he slips into the passenger seat of Jongdae’s car just after nine.

“Good morning to you, too.” Jongdae laughs.

“What? Oh, yeah. Good morning.”

“You’re hopeless.”

“No, I think I’m in lust.” Chanyeol says, earnestly, because that’s definitely a thing.

“That’s even worse.”

“How is it?”

“You’re planning on stalking the poor guy. I know you are.” Jongdae points out. “That’s hardly normal.”

“No, I’m not.” Chanyeol shakes his head. “All I’m suggesting is visiting the restaurant where he works and therefore must interact with me every day for the rest of the summer. Or until he agrees to go out with me. Whichever happens first.”

“There goes my diet.” Jongdae mutters.

They arrive at the community centre just after ten and Jongdae leads him through the rundown hallways and to the garden at the back of the building. It hardly deserves the name. It’s a large walled space, much larger than Chanyeol was expecting for this part of the city, but there’s no greenery to speak of. The floor is broken flagstones mostly hidden under years of dirt and rubbish. There aren’t even any weeds.

“Okay.” Chanyeol says. “I don’t remember agreeing to this.”

“It’ll be okay.” Jongdae smiles. “All we have to do is clean the place up, pull up the flagstones, put some grass down and done.”

“Is that all?” Chanyeol asks with no small amount of sarcasm.

“It’ll be okay.” Jongdae says again. “The others will be coming along when they can-.”

“Have you ever seen Joonmyun get his hands dirty?”

“-and it’ll be ready for the kids in no time.”

“Kids?”

Jongdae sighs, “you really weren’t paying attention yesterday, were you?” 

Chanyeol shakes his head.

“There’s a crèche in the centre, they want somewhere safe for the kids to be able to play when the weather’s nice.” Jongdae explains.

“And now you’re guilting me into staying.” Chanyeol fakes a scowl even though they both know he never had any intention of backing out. “Great, thanks. What a friend you are.”

“Will I or will I not be playing the role of wingman for the entirety of the summer break?” Jongdae reminds him.

“Fine.” Chanyeol grumbles. “Let’s just get started.”

The work is both tiring and slow-going. They fill bag after bag with rubbish and make countless journeys through the centre to throw them into the waiting skip. Chanyeol gets to see more of the centre and meet some of the people who work there, mostly older ladies who coo over them and pinch Jongdae’s cheeks twice as hard because they can’t reach Chanyeol’s.

And Chanyeol’s surprised by how much there’s going on for what is actually quite a small building. There’s the overcrowded crèche that Chanyeol avoids like the plague as well as a day centre for old people that, too, is overcrowded and avoided. There’s a library that is nothing more than a couple of dozen books and a computer that Chanyeol’s sure is older than he is. There’s a couple more rooms where classes are held and another that seems to be a clinic of some sorts with a queue of people continually reaching out past the main entrance, coughing and groaning as they wait patiently to be seen.

The building itself is cramped and stuffy. The paint on the wall is scuffed and peeling and the flyers on the notice boards are for events already long gone by. One of the windows at the front of the building, the one that looks into the day centre, is cracked and splintered. Chanyeol doubts it will take much effort to make the glass come tumbling down despite the tape used to hold it in place.

The whole place is understaffed and it doesn’t take long for Chanyeol to work out what few staff they do have are mostly volunteers and it makes him sad when he thinks of the community centre in his own neighbourhood: brand new, fully staffed and barely used. The only thing that can possibly make the whole thing anymore depressing is that this failing centre is aimed especially at omegas and those who rely on them. It makes him a bit sick to think that those who are society’s most vulnerable are the ones who are being most let down.

It makes him think about the omega at the restaurant. The centre is only a twenty minute walk from where he works, it makes sense to him that the omega – _Minseok_ , he reminds himself – has probably visited the centre at some point. Maybe for suppressants at the clinic or to use the ancient computer for something.

And it’s stupid, he knows, but he smells for him each time he walks the main corridor of the centre and he knows that it must be his nose playing tricks on him but he swears that he catches the faintest hint of him mingling with the hundreds of other scents that layer the area.

“Does it bother you?” Jongdae asks as they climb into his car to travel to the restaurant at lunchtime.

“I wouldn’t say bother.” Chanyeol replies as he cranks the air conditioning up. “It’s just depressing, you know? That place is all those people have got and it looks like one strong gust of wind is going to knock it down. It’s not right.”

Jongdae nods, “it’s horrible, isn’t it? Seeing how the other half live. But that’s not what I was talking about.”

“Huh?”

“All those omegas.” Jongdae shrugs. “After your little display yesterday, I thought you might have been _sensitive._ ”

“No, I’ve been fine.” Chanyeol tells him and he’s being mostly honest. Jongdae’s already probably guessed that he hasn’t been able to get Minseok off his mind. “Besides, the omegas at the centre have all been bonded or too old or young. I’ve hardly noticed them, to be honest.”

“They’ve definitely noticed you.” Jongdae tells him.

“What do you mean?”

“Your scent has been really strong. Like really, really strong. I’d be surprised if the ladies at the centre didn’t start to air the place out as soon as we left.” Jongdae explains. He is a beta and a lot more sensitive to smells than Chanyeol is.

It’s mortifying. 

He struggles with his words for a minute or two, wondering how on earth he’s going to defend himself.

“Oh my god,” He ends up saying instead and he buries his face in his hands, “what’s wrong with me?”

“Don’t worry about it, it’ll die down in a day or two.” Jongdae tells him as they pull into the parking lot of the restaurant.

“I am so embarrassed.” Chanyeol says. “They must think I’m a horny kid or something.”

“Probably.” Jongdae grins and he switches the engine of the car off now that they’re parked. “But they’re not completely wrong, are they?”

“Haha, very funny.” Chanyeol says.

“I could smell it on you this morning.” Jongdae tells him as they climb out of the car. “It was pretty gross actually.”

“Please,” Chanyeol pleads, “don’t tell anyone about this.”

But his phone is already vibrating in his pocket and Jongdae is cackling and Chanyeol worries about who is going to help him hide the bodies once he’s murdered all of his friends.

They enter the restaurant and are seated by the waiter who had come to help Minseok clean up the day before. He obviously recognises them from the look he gives them but he doesn’t say anything. He does, however, scrunch his nose at Chanyeol and Jongdae cackles some more.

“I don’t think this could get any more embarrassing.” Chanyeol mutters once they’re seated and flicking through the menus.

But it does.

Not even a minute later a quiet voice is hissing, “am I going to have to talk to the owner about you?”

“What?” Chanyeol looks up from the menu with wide eyes and, of course, Minseok is stood there. There’s a fierce look on his face and it sends a thrill of _something_ through Chanyeol. “Am I not allowed to come in here for something to eat?”

“I’m not going to play any games with you.” Minseok tells him, his voice still low. “I’m not interested, okay?”

But there’s that _something_ in his eyes that makes it very clear to Chanyeol that he’s lying.

“Look,” Chanyeol says and he’s as surprised as anyone at the confidence in his voice, “we’ve just come in here for something to eat. Are you going to serve us or not?”

“Fine. Tell me what you want.” Minseok glares at him and there’s a challenge in his eyes that Chanyeol can’t refuse.

Chanyeol holds his gaze as he orders his food and not once throughout the entire exchange, not even when Jongdae gives his order, do either of them look away from the other’s eyes.

“I’ll be right back with your drinks.” Minseok tells them once Jongdae is finished speaking and then he’s gone.

Chanyeol’s shoulders slump as soon as he’s out of sight and Jongdae doesn’t try to hold back his laughter anymore.

“Oh my god.” Chanyeol groans.

“What was that?” Jongdae asks and he’s clutching at his ribs as he tries to catch his breath. “Was that- were you _flirting_?”

“Jongdae, _please_.” Chanyeol grinds out. “Just, shut up, okay?”

“I’m sorry.” Jongdae says even though he’s not at all. “I just… you’re hopeless. You’ll be lucky if he ever talks to you again.”

And Jongdae is right. It’s the other waiter who brings them their drinks and then later their food and Chanyeol can only watch as Minseok continues about his business. Jongdae teases him as they eat but Chanyeol knows he’s not imagining the glances that the omega sends his way.

They return to the community centre after lunch and continue on working on clearing the trash from the garden. By the time that five rolls around and their first day is over it feels like they’ve hardly made a dint.

“How is that even possible?” Chanyeol complains. “Are you sure that someone hasn’t just been putting it all back when our backs have been turned?”

He declines Jongdae’s offer of an evening of junk food and video games and instead takes a long shower to try and remove some of the aches that have built up through the day. It’s not as successful as he hopes so he changes into pyjamas and orders takeout instead of going to the grocery store like he knows he should. He thinks about inviting one of the others around but knows from the hundred unread messages in their group chat that they’re all of them going to be insufferable, never mind who he chooses.

He goes on his laptop for a couple of hours and tries not to think about how quiet his apartment is. It’s never been quiet before. He’s always been happy to be by himself, too busy with school and his social life to really think about having someone _like that_ around. He’s still young, just about to start his master’s degree in September, and not at all ready to enter the adult world of steady relationships and _commitment_.

Still, he thinks what it would be like to have Minseok curled up against him on the sofa or teasing him for the derelict state of his fridge and it fills him with an ache that he knows all the showers in the world won’t be able to take away.

He goes to bed early but he doesn’t sleep well. He tosses and turns and can’t help but think that his bed is too big for just him.

He picks Jongdae up just before nine the next morning and the elder notices his glum mood and decides not to interfere. They work in silence for most of the morning and Chanyeol thinks about asking whether they can go somewhere different for lunch but he doesn’t. He’s still desperate to see Minseok even if it’s going to remind him of what he doesn’t have.

They’re served by the other waiter – Yixing, as he introduces himself – and Minseok avoids their table. Chanyeol doesn’t mind too much, he still gets to watch him even if his body screams at him for more.

They return to the centre and the afternoon passes much like the morning and soon a whole week has gone by and Chanyeol still hasn’t made any progress. He’s beginning to think he never will.

The garden is coming along nicely, though. By the time Friday afternoon comes to an end, they’ve managed to clear it out entirely and start pulling up the flagstones. Chanyeol is looking forward to two days of rest over the weekend but then Jongin calls him ridiculously early on Saturday morning and informs him that they’ll be picking him at nine to go back to the community centre.

“All five of us are free.” Jongin argues over the phone when Chanyeol sounds like he’s going to say no. “Can you imagine how much we’ll get done?”

“You guys just want an excuse to go back to the restaurant.” Chanyeol says because Jongdae has been providing them with updates all week and it’s all they’ve been talking about.

“That’s not true.” Jongin replies and Chanyeol thinks he can hear his pout. “We just want to help. We promised Jongdae that we would.”

Chanyeol groans and relents, knowing that even if he said no that they’d still turn up at his door anyway.

“Joonmyun hyung knows he’s going to get dirty, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah.”

“And that there’s going to be heavy lifting involved?”

“I’m fairly certain Jongdae mentioned it.”

“And that he shouldn’t wear his Gucci loafers, no matter how good he thinks he looks in them?”

“They’re Prada actually but, yeah, he knows.”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes and lets out a sigh, “fine. I’ll see you at nine.”

He puts down the phone and manages another half hour of sleep before dragging himself from bed for a shower. He dresses in sweats and a t-shirt and tries not to think about whatever ridiculous outfit Joonmyun will be wearing.

And at exactly ten past nine, he gets a text to say that they’re outside his apartment building. He lets out another long sigh and resigns himself to a day of teasing.

But there isn’t any.

Or, at least, there isn’t any after Baekhyun’s loud, “you’re right, Jongdae, he does smell.”

 Instead Jongdae is beaming at Joonmyun and Chanyeol feels like he’s missing something.

“What’s going on?” He asks.

“Joonmyun hyung got his father to agree to pay for some playground equipment for the garden!” Jongdae nearly squeals.

Chanyeol snorts, “is that all?”

Chanyeol comes from a wealthy family but it is nothing compared to Joonmyun’s. He doubts that Joonmyun’s father would miss the money if they were to take enough to refurbish the whole community centre.

“Don’t be like that.” Jongdae punches him on the arm. “It’s really generous of him.”

Jongdae’s family is just about well enough off to be called middle class so he doesn’t have the same attitude towards money as the rest of them. It can be refreshing at times but also incredibly exasperating when he doesn’t realise just how little it matters to some people, especially those who are as wealthy as Joonmyun’s father.

Joonmyun shoots him a look in the rear-view mirror, “we’re going to go get measurements and see what they’ve got room for.”

“Ah,” Chanyeol says and he thinks he finally understands, “so you’re not really going to be doing any work?”

“I’ll do something.” Joonmyun insists.

“You said that when you agreed to help me move into my apartment.” Chanyeol points out.

“He hired those movers, didn’t he?” Baekhyun asks, slyly.

“And he bought dinner that night.” Jongin adds.

“When don’t I buy dinner?” Joonmyun huffs. “Besides, I didn’t see any of you complaining.”

“Probably because you bought our silence with alcohol.” Jongdae says.

“And yet here we are, still talking about it.” Joonmyun says.

“I’m sure the centre’s going to appreciate it.” Chanyeol tells him and earns himself a grateful smile for the change of subject. “Though, I really hope you’re not expecting me to help put anything together.”

“Don’t worry,” Baekhyun says, “I’ve made it my personal mission in life to make sure those poor children never go anywhere near anything you’ve had a hand in building.”

“Yeah,” Jongdae agrees, “that’s probably for the best. We don’t want any repeats of the bookcase incident.”

Chanyeol rubs at his arm as he remembers old wounds, “I hurt myself more than I hurt any of you.”

“And let’s keep it that way.” Joonmyun says.

They arrive at the centre just after ten and it isn’t a minute too soon for Chanyeol. Jongdae had been going into a way too in-depth retelling of Chanyeol’s interactions, or lack thereof, with Minseok over the last week and Jongin and Baekhyun have been taking too much pleasure from his misery.

“Don’t be so quick to judge.” Joonmyun says following a particularly crude remark from Baekhyun and Chanyeol is surprised by the steel in his words. “Or to criticise. You know nothing about this omega or why he’s like he is. You should be kinder for Chanyeol’s sake. He really likes him.”

Chanyeol immediately blushes, “oh my god. I’m not going to bond with him. Can you imagine what my parents would say if I brought him home?”

“Is this before or after you’ve fucked him?” Jongin asks with a smirk.

“Do you really think it matters? They’re going to be disappointed either way.” Baekhyun says. He pauses for the briefest of moments before adding, “but probably more so when Chanyeol has to break it to them that he’s got herpes.”

“I swear to god!” Chanyeol shouts but then they’re pulling into the parking lot and he’s unbuckling his belt before the car has even come to a stop.

He’s out of the car and halfway to the entrance before the others have even opened their doors.

“Hey, Chanyeol!” Baekhyun calls and Chanyeol turns back to face him, flipping him the bird with both hands. “You forgot your ga-.”

But then Chanyeol is colliding with another body and they both go tumbling to the hard asphalt floor, though Chanyeol’s fall is mostly broken by the smaller body beneath his.

“Shit.” He swears and then he freezes because the other’s scent is intoxicating and he has to breathe it in and savour it because he knows it so well and he’s never been _this close_.

“What are you doing?” Minseok huffs, sounding winded, and he pushing at Chanyeol’s body and trying to get out from under him. “Get off me!”

“What?” Chanyeol asks because his brain feels like it’s been replaced with cotton wool and he’s not one hundred percent sure what’s happening.

“Get off!” Minseok grinds out. “You’re hurting me.”

And that sparks something in Chanyeol and he scrambles to get to his feet.

“Oh, shit.” He breathes and he grabs at Minseok’s hands and pulls him to his feet, even if the omega tries to avoid his touch, and his heart is thumping madly against his ribcage. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

“I’m fine.” Minseok says and he makes no attempt to brush the dirt and dust from faded black uniform. Instead his hands go to the strap of the overstuffed messenger bag he’s wearing and there’s a small look of relief on his face when he finds that stitching joining the bag and the strap together has not been loosened any further.

“Are you sure?” Chanyeol asks and his hands itch to touch and make sure for himself. He doesn’t though because his friends are crowding around with gleeful looks on their faces.

Minseok ignores his question, ignores the others, and instead demands, “what are you doing here? Is stalking me at work not enough?”

“What?” Chanyeol asks and there’s a small bubble of irritation in his chest. “What are you talking about? Why would I be stalking _you_?”

“Then what are you doing here?” Minseok asks, his face hard.

“We just love to hang out in places like this.” Baekhyun’s voice is dripping with sarcasm. “Can’t think of anywhere else we’d rather spend our day.”

“We’re helping out over the summer.” Chanyeol explains as he shoots Baekhyun a glare. “There’s a garden at the back of the building that we’re clearing up so that the kids from the crèche have somewhere outside that they can play.”

 “What?” Minseok asks and Chanyeol thinks he sees a flicker of surprise flash across his face.

“Are you deaf or just plain stupid?” Jongin asks and Chanyeol knows by the glance that Jongin sends his way that he’s trying to get a rise of Chanyeol more than he is Minseok.

It works.

Chanyeol rounds on him, “I swear to god, Jongin, if you don’t-.”

“You’re cleaning up the garden?” Minseok asks, ignoring them both. He looks taken aback. “For the kids?”

“Well, yeah.” Chanyeol shrugs.

There are emotions on Minseok’s face that Chanyeol doesn’t understand and when their eyes meet he feels like he’s drowning. 

“I just didn’t think…” Minseok trails off and Chanyeol doesn’t think he’s ever seen him look so _open_. And yet, and yet Chanyeol still has no idea what he’s thinking but the world feels like it’s shrinking and it’s just the two of them and Chanyeol struggles to remember how to breathe.

He doesn’t think he wants to remember how to if it means he can make this moment last forever.

But then Baekhyun breaks the spell, “you should get to know a person before you judge them.”

Minseok looks away and Chanyeol feels an almost desperate urge to pin him down, mark him with his teeth and bond their scents together so that the whole world knows that Minseok is _his_.

There’ll be no more customers leering at Minseok then and the restaurant owner will keep his hands to himself and, god, how Chanyeol would like nothing more than to wipe the smug look from his ugly face.

He takes a step forwards but then Jongdae places a hand on his arm and keeps him in place. He gives him a look that plainly says ‘stay right where you are’ while Joonmyun hits Baekhyun on the arm for using his words against Minseok.

“Ignore him.” Joonmyun says. “We do.”

Minseok nods but then his eyes fall on Joonmyun’s far too flashy watch and he pales, “I am so late. I’ve got to go.”

They watch him as sprints across the parking lot and Jongin calls out after him, “get back here! You forgot to suck hyung’s di-.”

Jongdae’s not quick enough to stop Chanyeol from launching himself at Jongin. He wraps his arms around Jongin’s chest and tries to pull him to the floor but Jongin is pulling at his t-shirt and digging his fingers into his back and they are snapping at each other’s necks, their teeth bared.

Chanyeol has never felt so out of control, so _wild_.

“Jesus Christ.” Someone mutters and then there are hands on them, trying to pull them apart.

Chanyeol struggles against the arms wrapped around his chest until it finally hits him what he was trying to do and the fight drains out of him.

“Oh, fuck.” He whispers and then louder asks, “shit, man, Jongin, are you okay?”

The fight is gone from Jongin, too, but Joonmyun still keeps a hand on his shoulder just in case.

“Yeah. Fuck, ‘Yeol, I didn’t know you liked him that much.” Jongin says and he straightens his t-shirt and runs a hand through his hair.

“I don’t.” Chanyeol says but he knows it’s not true.

“You were practically eye fucking.” Baekhyun smirks but there’s none of the harshness in his words as there had been before.

“It’s true.” Jongdae nods and he pats Chanyeol’s shoulder. “I was going to suggest you get a room.”

“My little Chanyeol.” Joonmyun sniffs and wipes away fake tears and the last of the tension between them vanishes. “He’s growing up so fast.”

“They’re practically bonded.” Jongdae joins in and he gives an overdramatic sob. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Okay, okay.” Chanyeol says but secretly he’s pleased.

His friends can be assholes at times but they don’t lie to him, not about important stuff like this. He thinks, he hopes, that means that he’s in with a chance. That maybe Minseok likes him back.

“I’ll lay off.” Jongin declares as they set off in the direction of the entrance again. “But I can’t make any promises about Baekhyun.”

“Baekhyun can’t make any promises about Baekhyun.” Chanyeol says as he slings an arm around Jongin’s shoulders.

Baekhyun nods, “I sometimes wonder if there’s a disconnect somewhere between my brain and my mouth.”

“Yeah,” Jongdae snorts, “your brain. Mainly the assumption that you have one.”

When they reach the garden the subject is mostly dropped in favour of complaining about just how much work there is still left to do before they can even think about getting anything for the kids to play on. They discuss timescales for getting the various stages of the project completed and then Chanyeol helps Joonmyun take measurements of the garden while Jongdae talks Baekhyun and Jongin through the finer points of pulling up the flagstones.

“There’s not as much room as I was hoping.” Joonmyun admits once he’s finished noting down the garden’s dimensions on his iPad. “We could probably get a climbing frame and a swing set in. Maybe a shed, too, so that they can store things. The kids are still going to want room to run around in.”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol agrees even though he knows nothing about children.

“We could put the shed at the back over there.” Joonmyun points where he means. “And then everything else over here. That’ll be okay, won’t it?”

“I don’t know.” Chanyeol shrugs. “Maybe you should ask someone who works in the crèche?”

“Excellent idea.” Joonmyun grins at him and he forces Chanyeol to go with him just because he knows how much Chanyeol doesn’t like children.

But the joke is on Joonmyun because it’s a Saturday and thankfully, _thankfully_ , the crèche is mostly empty. After walking passed it so many times during the week Chanyeol had been expecting to see hordes of screaming children, toys and books everywhere and the care staff to be at their wits end.

Instead the crèche is almost tranquil.

There are a few older children playing with a plastic kitchen set and one of the staff members is sat with a couple of toddlers who are doing some colouring in. Two more of the staff members are fussing over a pair of babies who cough and splutter and even Chanyeol, who is completely ignorant of all things relating to small children, can work out that they’re ill.

“-can’t keep bringing them in like his.” One of the women is saying as they approach, not having noticed their entrance. “It’s not fair on the other children.”

Joonmyun clears his throat and bows once he has their attention.

“My name is Kim Joonmyun.” He explains. “I’m one of the volunteers helping with the garden project. I was hoping I could have a minute of your time to discuss some ideas that we have?”

The women share looks before the elder of the two nods. She looks at Chanyeol before nodding at the baby fussing in her arms, “do you mind holding him while I speak to your friend? He won’t settle unless he’s being held.”

Chanyeol doesn’t seem to have a choice because suddenly he has an armful of baby that he has no idea what to do with. He looks to Joonmyun for help but he and the woman have moved to stand near the door and he is showing her photos on his iPad.

“You don’t need to look so frightened.” The second woman says and she smiles at his obvious discomfort. “He’s not going to bite.”

“I’m more worried about dropping him.” Chanyeol admits as the baby in his arm coughs. He frowns, “he doesn’t sound too good.”

“No.” The woman agrees. “They’re both a bit under the weather.”

“Can’t they take any medicine?” Chanyeol asks and he adjusts his hold on the squirming baby so that he’s flush against Chanyeol’s chest with his small head resting on his shoulder. It’s more awkward than anyone has ever made it look.

“Medicine is expensive.” The woman tells him. “Even with the discounts you can get from the clinic.”

Chanyeol’s heart plummets right through his chest and into the pit of his stomach, “I- I hadn’t thought about that.”

The woman gives him a sad smile and adjusts the baby in her grip, cooing over him when he scrunches up his face like he might cry, and says, “medicine or food? It’s a decision we’ve all had to make at one point.”

“I…” Chanyeol trails off, not quite sure what to say so he doesn’t say anything at all.

They’re saved from falling into an awkward silence by Joonmyun and the other woman returning, the latter smiling wildly.

Joonmyun is smiling, too, but it falters as he gets closer to the babies. He inhales deeply through his nose and says, “they have an interesting smell.”

Chanyeol takes a cautious sniff of the baby in his arms and thinks he catches a hint of something familiar under the general baby smell but he can’t work it out. Smell has never been his strongest sense.

“The twins are from a single parent family.” The older woman says with a tut as she takes the baby back from Chanyeol. “What you’re smelling is the lack of alpha or beta.”

“Yeah.” Joonmyun says and the distaste on his face his obvious. “That must be it.”

“You’re good to look after them.” Chanyeol says because there is no greater shame, nothing more unforgivable, than having children out of bond. The women are well within their rights to refuse to care for them. Chanyeol has heard stories of omegas being disowned by their families based on nothing more than a rumour of being pregnant out of bond. “A lot of people wouldn’t.”

“They’re just babies.” One of the women says. “We can’t punish them for the sins of the parent.”

“However big the sin.” The other adds.

They return to the garden then and are immediately dragged into helping with the flagstones. Baekhyun and Jongin mock them for dodging the _real work_ as if Chanyeol hasn’t been there all week. Jongdae rolls his eyes and Joonmyun is distant, not even complaining when Baekhyun gets dirt over his designer sneakers.

They go to the restaurant at lunch and Chanyeol is shocked when it is Minseok who seats them and then comes to take their order after what had happened in the parking lot that morning. He is distant with them, though, and keeps his head bowed. Chanyeol wonders why at first but then he sees that Minseok’s lip is split and bruised and then he seethes.

“What happened?” He demands and the others fall silent. “Who did that?”

Minseok doesn’t look him but his voice is as calm and measured as always as he asks, “can I take your drinks order, please?”

“Minseok, look at me.” Chanyeol says and his tone leaves no room for argument.

“It’s nothing, okay?” Minseok hisses and their eyes meet for the briefest of moments. “Just leave it.”

“You heard him, Chanyeol.” Joonmyun says. His voice is cold, on the verge of rude, and the look he gives Minseok is nothing short of hostile, “I’ll have a sparkling water. Don’t forget to put some lemon in my glass this time, okay? You were lucky I didn’t complain last time.”

“Joonmyun?” Jongdae breathes because the rest of them are all in too much shock.

“The others will have cokes.” Joonmyun tells Minseok when no one else says anything. “What are you standing there for? Go get our drinks.”

Minseok nods and bows and leaves without another word.

“What the fuck, Joonmyun?” Jongin says.

“Stay away from him.” Joonmyun advises, shooting Minseok a glare from across the busy restaurant. “He’s not worth your time, Chanyeol.”

“Joonmyun?” Chanyeol asks, wanting some kind of explanation.

“Just trust me on this.” Joonmyun says and he refuses to explain any further.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kind comments and kudos for the first chapter. I'm really happy people are liking this!
> 
> As always thank you to my sister cosmicfox. You done gud.

The meal is awkward after that. Minseok continues to serve them but he doesn’t look at them, not even Chanyeol, and he doesn’t say anything at all unless completely necessary. He looks preoccupied, Chanyeol thinks, and he wonders how much of that is to do with Joonmyun’s behaviour and how much is to do with how busy the restaurant is.

He hopes it’s the latter because he really, really doesn’t understand Joonmyun’s attitude especially as he had been more supportive than anyone else that morning. He wonders what’s changed but he doesn’t dare to ask when things are as tense as they are now.

They are an alpha heavy friendship group with Jongdae as their token beta so they’re used to the undercurrents of tension that can sometimes ripple through the group now that they’ve all reached majority. Joonmyun, despite all their teasing and his relaxed manner, is their undisputed leader and they know not to push him when he’s made his mind up on something.

They go back to the centre and the reality of hard labour loosens their lips and soothes their tempers and, even if it takes a few hours longer than usual, things return to normal. Baekhyun teases and Jongin pouts. Joonmyun complains and Jongdae babbles about all his plans for the garden.

They finish early that afternoon and the weather is still nice enough that they can lounge around on Joonmyun’s roof terrace until long after the sun has set. They get through more beers than Chanyeol cares to count and eat more junk food than is possibly healthy. It’s nice, he thinks, comforting in a way he didn’t know he needed.

And yet he can’t seem to settle. He peels the labels from his beer bottles and jigs his leg up and down despite the glares he gets as a result. It isn’t until the end of the night and he’s more than a little drunk that someone talks to him about it.

“What’s wrong?” Jongdae asks as he helps Chanyeol look for his missing jacket. “Are you still thinking about that omega?”

“Minseok?” Chanyeol asks and then blushes.

“Is that his name?” Jongdae teases.

“Maybe.” Chanyeol tries to sound offhand about it but he knows that Jongdae can see straight through him so instead he sighs and runs a hand through his already messy hair. “But yeah, it’s not him.”

And as soon as he’s said it, he realises it’s not. That’s not to say he’s not upset about the situation with Minseok because he is but there’s something else, too.

Jongdae offers him a warm smile, “I’m listening.”

“It’s just… There were these babies in the crèche earlier. They were sick and the woman said that their mom couldn’t afford medicine for them.” Chanyeol scowls. “Like, I didn’t even know that was a thing. I mean, they were the kids of an unbonded omega but, still, it’s the twenty first century and we’re a modern country. I don’t understand.”

Jongdae’s smile slides into a grimace, “I’d like to say that that kind of thing isn’t common but then I’d be lying.”

“It’s sad, man.” Chanyeol says. “What kind of life is it when you can’t even afford medicine for your sick children?”

“A hard one.” Jongdae shrugs. “But I guess all you can do is keep on living. What other choice do you have?”

“I can see why you do stuff like this now.” Chanyeol tells him and, suddenly, he feels a surge of fondness for Jongdae. “It sucks and it’s sad but it’s good to know you’ve made some kind of difference, you know? Even if it is something really small.”

“It’s not going to be something small for all those kids.” Jongdae assures him and Chanyeol doesn’t exactly feel better about the whole thing but he’s glad to have spoken those words out loud and be taken seriously by someone who understands.

Chanyeol goes home shortly after that and Jongin, somehow, ends up spending the night. Sunday passes in a hungover haze of drama re-runs and whatever they can scavenge from the kitchen cabinets. Just the two of them means that it’s quieter than usual but it’s not uncomfortable, even with their fight from the day before. Jongin opens up as the day drags on and he tells him about this girl he’s seeing and how, even though it’s still early days, he really likes her. He tells Chanyeol about the day they had spent together earlier in the week and the small smile he has on his face sends a pang of jealousy through Chanyeol. But Jongin seems happy and he really can’t begrudge him that. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t ‘accidentally’ let the news slip in their group conversation while Jongin is still mid flow because, hey, what are friends for? Besides, it’s about time they had someone else to tease.

Chanyeol leaves to pick up Jongdae early the next morning, so early that Jongin is still fast asleep in the spare room, and they spend another morning pulling up flagstones. It’s going much slower than either of them would like especially as they have to spend anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour chiselling at the cement holding the flagstones in place to pull even one up.

They’ve probably made it even worse for themselves by having counted how many flagstones there were to start with. The number they’ve removed seems laughable in comparison considering all the hard work they’ve put in.

They go to lunch hungry and exhausted and neither of them contemplate going anywhere but to the usual restaurant. Joonmyun isn’t with them and they are adults. They are free to make up their own minds about where they eat lunch even though there’s an unspoken agreement between them that they won’t be mentioning it Joonmyun or the others. Neither of them are exactly chipper and Chanyeol’s mood only deteriorates when he realises that Minseok isn’t at work that day.

“Where’s Minseok?” Chanyeol asks Yixing instead of giving him his drinks order like what had been asked of him.

Yixing frowns, “he had to stay home today.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’ll be back tomorrow.” Yixing tells him instead of giving him a proper answer.

And he is. He looks pale and exhausted but he smiles at them in greeting and something in Chanyeol’s chest eases. After Saturday he hadn’t known what to expect, hadn’t dared hope for Minseok to even look at him again never mind smile and talk to him.

“How is it going at the centre?” He asks once they’re seated and he’s handing them menus.

“Good.” Jongdae says because Chanyeol is in too much shock to reply. “It’s been more work than either of us thought it would be but it’ll be worth it.”

Minseok nods, “I’m sure it will be.”

“One of our friends,” Chanyeol says now that his brain has caught up, “is going to get some playground equipment fitted. He sent me through some designs last night and it looks really cool. I think the kids are going to like it.”

The smile that Minseok gives him is so warm and happy and _beautiful_ that Chanyeol swears his heart skips a beat.

“They’ll love it.” He says. “I know they will.”

And Chanyeol isn’t sure what he’s done or how he’s done it but he thanks god and anyone else who will listen because for the rest of the week Minseok _actually talks to him._

It starts small at first, questions about the centre and how their morning has been going, but it soon progresses into something more than that. There are questions about college and what they’re studying, what they want to do once they’re finished and if they have any plans to travel and see the world while they’re still unbonded. Minseok seems to hang on his every word and he laughs and he smiles and he takes Chanyeol’s breath away. He ends up sharing a lot more about himself than he learns about Minseok but he doesn’t mind because even if Minseok never explicitly says anything there are still things that Chanyeol picks up.

He soon learns the difference between what are fake and genuine smiles and it doesn’t take him long to realise that all the smiles that had at first made him sick with jealousy are the former. Minseok doesn’t enjoy the attention of the alphas and betas who stare at him and grope him but he makes himself smile a long for the sake of an easy life. They are only ever interested in what being an unbonded omega implies and Minseok is clear with them that he has nothing more he wants to offer them beyond small smiles and forced laughter.

For most of them that is enough but there are instances where people refuse to take no for an answer.

They tend to square up to Minseok, try to intimidate him with their superior heights and broadset shoulders, and Minseok never once flinches away from the challenge. Chanyeol learns at these times not to become involved because there’s someone else who watches Minseok just as much as he does and is in a much better position to deal with these troublemakers than Chanyeol is.

Jihoon.

The restaurant owner has taken to sitting on a stool behind the small bar and watching every move that Minseok makes. If anyone steps out of line then he is quick to either put them back in their place or kick them out of the restaurant, depending on how willing they are to back down.

And Chanyeol would be happy that Minseok has someone else watching out for him but there’s something about Jihoon that sets him on edge.

He’s obviously infatuated with Minseok – which, while it isn’t okay, is understandable, Chanyeol supposes, because a lot of people are – but it’s also obvious that he’s jealous of the time that Minseok is spending at Chanyeol and Jongdae’s table. He spends the time he’s not watching Minseok glaring at Chanyeol and it’s clear that he feels threatened by him.

It makes him lash out at Minseok.

Chanyeol has seen him more than once grab at Minseok’s wrist and squeeze it so hard that he winces from the pain. He’s seen him whisper harsh words in Minseok’s ear and Chanyeol is never close enough to hear but it always makes the omega turn white with fear.

But Jihoon’s favourite thing to do, whenever Minseok is looking particularly content or smiling too brightly, is to pick up on something minor that he’s done wrong and call him out on it in front of the whole restaurant. Minseok, who is usually so calm and composed, becomes flustered and trips over himself to apologise and to put things ‘right’ so that Jihoon won’t follow through with his threat of firing him.

Not that he ever would, Chanyeol knows. It’s all just a ploy to remind Minseok of his place in the world, remind him how his job is very much in his hands, and it drives Chanyeol crazy. What’s worse, though, is the enjoyment Jihoon gets from humiliating Minseok in front of so many people.

It makes Chanyeol furious.

“Why do you let him treat you like that?” Chanyeol asks after one such instance.

“What choice do I have?” Minseok asks and his hands are shaking as he stacks their empty plates.

“Get another job.” Chanyeol pleads.

Minseok laughs and the sound is bitter, “and who is going to hire someone like me? I’m lucky to have the job I have now.”

And Chanyeol doesn’t know what to say to that because they both know it’s true.

The weeks continue to pass and for all the bad there is, there’s plenty of good, too.

The feeling of _mark, claim, scent_ he had whenever he encountered Minseok has given way to something softer and yet somehow no less fierce and he looks forward to every second that he gets to spend in Minseok’s company.

Jongdae jokes that he glows whenever he’s in Minseok’s presence and all of Chanyeol’s friends and family have picked up on the happiness that clings to him like a second skin outside of the restaurant. His parents ask when they’re going to meet their future son-in-bond and his friends ruffle his hair and ask who they have to give ‘the talk’ to. Only his closest friends know the full story and they’re quiet in their congratulations even if Chanyeol denies that there’s anything for them to congratulate him for. Joonmyun, however, stays stubbornly quiet on the subject and makes his displeasure at the situation known.

Chanyeol finds it easy to ignore him.

Instead he becomes thankful for Jongdae and support he provides. He lets Chanyeol prattle on every afternoon about how good Minseok had looked that particular day or about the way he had smiled at something Chanyeol had said. He lets him talk through his fears about Jihoon and offers advice on helping Minseok get out of the situation he’s in. He reassures Chanyeol during his almost daily wobbles in confidence that he’s not imagining the way Minseok seems to brighten whenever he looks at him, that Minseok likes him too, and he encourages him to ask him out on a date.

And, one Tuesday nearly a month after first meeting one another, Chanyeol does just that.

Jongdae has already returned to the car on the pretence of making a call and Chanyeol’s heart is beating at double speed as he helps Minseok stack the plates and bowls from their lunch.

“I was thinking,” Chanyeol says, taking a deep breath, “that maybe, on Friday night, if you wanted to, we could maybe grab some dinner after you finish work?”

It’s not as smooth of a delivery as he had hoped for – or practiced for that matter – but he’s pleased with himself for asking. Finally.

The smile that Minseok is wearing slips from his face.

“I can’t.” He says. “I work until late on a Friday.”

“Saturday night then?” Chanyeol asks because Minseok hasn’t flat out refused him.

“I work late on Saturday nights, too.” Minseok tells him.

“Then sometime during the week?”

“I’m sorry.” Minseok says.

Chanyeol feels like he’s going to cry.

“Oh.” Chanyeol says and he swallows thickly. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry.” Minseok says again.

There’s a part of Chanyeol that doesn’t want to take no for an answer, that wants to pin Minseok down and mark him with his own scent, that wants to make Minseok _his_ , but he pushes it down.

“I’ll see you around then.” Chanyeol says.

“Yeah.” Minseok agrees.

Chanyeol walks to the car in a stupor and slides into the passenger seat without a word. Jongdae opens his mouth to say something but the desolate look on Chanyeol’s face has his mouth snapping closed.

They return to the centre and the garden and they finish the last of the frames for the raised flowerbeds, the flagstones thankfully a distant memory.

Chanyeol drops Jongdae at home when it’s time to leave and instead of going straight back to his own apartment he goes grocery shopping for the first time in weeks. He buys food he knows he will just end up throwing out and feels guilty the moment he steps through his front door.

For the first time since the day that he’d met them, he thinks of the twins in the crèche. He wonders if they’re better, if their mom was able to afford medicine for them in the end. Then he thinks about the food in his fridge and in his cupboards and the money in his bank account and wonders what it would mean to them.

Then he thinks of Minseok, the bags under his eyes and his stick thin wrists and how he’s just so effortlessly beautiful, and he cries.

They don’t go back to the restaurant for the rest of the week.

Chanyeol instead tries to use up the food in his fridge by putting lunchboxes together for himself and Jongdae. They don’t taste very nice but they both eat them anyway.

The garden is progressing quickly now that they’ve done the hard work. They’ve put in raised flowerbeds along the two edges of the garden and then a path the whole way around, having it a bit wider at the end running along the side of the centre so that they can put some benches in. The space in the middle has been levelled and they’ve removed the big chunks of rock buried in the top layer of soil in anticipation of Joonmyun’s playground equipment arriving.

It isn’t until late on Friday afternoon that they realise that they need to dig holes for the legs of the climbing frame to go in.

“Shit.” Jongdae swears. “Joonmyun has those guys coming to put everything up first thing on Monday and I’m going away this weekend with my parents. I’m not going to have time.”

“It’s okay.” Chanyeol says. “I’ll do it. It’s not like I have any plans anyway.”

“Are you sure?” Jongdae asks.

“Sure.” Chanyeol shrugs.

And so Chanyeol finds himself alone at the centre on Saturday morning. The sky is overcast and threatening rain but he doesn’t let that deter him. He just digs and digs and digs until his hands are bleeding and the job is finished. It’s therapeutic, in its own way, and Chanyeol is grateful for the opportunity not to think.

The first boom of thunder echoes through the sky just as Chanyeol is setting his shovel aside for the day. He goes into the bathroom and washes the dirt from his hands and arms and when he’s finished there’s rain pelting against the windows and lightening flashing in the darkened sky.

He regrets leaving his jacket at home as he makes his way towards the entrance but then he thinks of Tuesday and Minseok and knows there’s a lot of things he regrets.

Because he likes Minseok, knows there’s no way he can possibly deny it, not to himself or to anyone else. He had been confident, too, that Minseok felt the same way. He’s seen the way his face softens whenever he sees Chanyeol, the small smile he wears whenever their eyes meet, and he’d hoped that it meant that Minseok was going to say yes.

He shakes his head and sighs and he wonders how he’s going to persuade Minseok to change his answer.

He won’t let it be the end.

He hears the babies before he sees them. They’re sobbing and coughing and screaming and Chanyeol winces in sympathy. There’s a double stroller by the entrance and a familiar figure digging frantically through a bag that is falling apart at the seams.

“Minseok?” Chanyeol asks and the figure looks up. Chanyeol’s breath catches in his throat at the tears in Minseok’s eyes.

“The babies are sick.” Minseok tells him and there are bright spots of red on his cheeks and sweat on his brow. “And it’s raining and I’ve left the cover for the stroller at home.”

One of the twins lets out an angry scream and Minseok leans forward and presses a kiss to his head.

“I’m sorry, ‘Soo.” He thinks he hears Minseok whisper. “I’m so sorry.”

“Are- are they yours?” Chanyeol asks and he feels sick.

He feels like the floor has dropped out from under his feet and he’s freefalling.

Minseok immediately becomes guarded at his question, his shoulders hunching and his face draining of emotion, “do you have a problem with that?”

‘Yes!’ He wants to shout. ‘Because you’re unbonded and you have children and I liked you! I liked you and you lied to me!’

“You never said- you tricked me.” Chanyeol says and he hurts, he hurts so badly. He hurts worse than anything he’s felt in the last few days. “You let me fall in love with you and you never said a word.”

“Love?” Minseok repeats and there’s hope in his eyes.

Chanyeol kills it immediately.

“I was wrong.” He snorts and it’s an ugly sound. “So fucking wrong. How could I ever fall in love with someone like _you_? You’re worse than dirt.”

Minseok buries his head in his hands and pulls at his hair as his sons – _his sons!_ – continue to cry.

“You’re disgusting.” Chanyeol spits and he feels his revulsion in the form of bile at the back of his throat and a shudder running down his spine.

Because how could Minseok do something so horrifically vile?

Wasn’t it enough that he had rejected a bond in the first place? The very thing that their whole society was built on, that their whole lives revolved around, because a bond is more than just love or lust: it’s the joining of two souls. It’s an omega and an alpha or beta and it’s balance and wholeness and everything that is right and good in the world. It’s everything that’s necessary to create new life, the key to happy and healthy children.

And what Minseok has done is spit on that bond, on everything that their species stands for, on everything that is sacred and pure, and Chanyeol is horrified.

He feels sick and he can’t stand to look at Minseok anymore.

He pushes passed him, nearly topples him to the floor, and out through the entrance. He walks to his car and the rain that soaks his skin does nothing to make him feel clean because he had loved Minseok. He had seen a future for them. He had been willing to overlook that his scent was purely his own, that held no hint of past partners or a bondmate who had been taken too early.

He had been willing to overlook so much so he could call Minseok his and now the very thought makes his stomach churn.

He ducks into the car and chokes back a sob. He wants to call Jongdae and tell him the truth but can’t because Jongdae is away with his family. He thinks about calling Joonmyun instead but he’s not ready to hear ‘I told you so’.

He starts the engine and pulls out of his parking spot and he just wants to go home but then he catches sight of the stroller through the open door of the centre and he knows he can’t.

The babies.

They’re so small and sick and the rain is torrential and Chanyeol knows he can’t punish them for Minseok’s sin.

He pulls up by the entrance and gets out of his car. His feet are heavy and his stomach feels like it’s been lined with lead as he re-enters the centre.

The babies are quieter now, clearly exhausted, but they’re still crying and whimpering and he’s so angry at Minseok for making them suffer. They reach for him with their tiny hands and throw their heads back and kick and Minseok does nothing to comfort them. He is still holding his head in his hands and pulling at his hair and squeezing his eyes shut and Chanyeol thinks he looks ready to burst into tears.

“Hey,” Chanyeol says to attract his attention. “Get in the car. I’ll give you a ride home.”

Minseok’s head snaps up to look at him, “what?”

“I’ll give you a ride home.” Chanyeol says again. “Grab the babies and get in the car. I’ll put the stroller in the trunk.”

Minseok nods and his hands, his whole body, shakes as he undoes the straps holding the babies in place. He cuddles them against his chest to shield them from the rain as much as he can and Chanyeol follows without a word, opening and closing the passenger side door for them and refusing to look at Minseok even once.

It takes him longer than it should to collapse the stroller down and store it in the trunk but Minseok is still shaking when Chanyeol slides into the driver’s seat.

“Tell me where I’m going.” He says as he turns on his GPS and he frowns at Minseok’s mumbled response as it is swallowed by the tired sobs of the twins. “Speak up.”

Minseok gives him his address but louder this time and Chanyeol keys it in, his frown only growing at the distance.  He doesn’t say anything, just puts the car into drive and goes.

In the confined space of the car Minseok’s scent is heady and it makes Chanyeol’s traitorous heart race. He feels sick with it and his palms are sweaty on the steering wheel.

The babies continue to cry and Chanyeol watches out of the corner of his eye as they squirm and wiggle on Minseok’s lap, trying to break free of the tight hold he has on them. Minseok whispers words too quiet for Chanyeol to catch but neither of them seem to want to be soothed.

“Can’t you shut them up?” Chanyeol asks between gritted teeth when one of the twins starts to scream. 

“They’re sick.” Minseok snaps but then he immediately starts to apologise. “I’m sorry. I- I didn’t mean to. It’s just, they’re sick and they’re unhappy and there isn’t much I can do. I’m sorry! Please don’t- I’m sorry.”

There’s a sudden jolt of realisation, a sickening feeling worse than anything he’s felt so far, because the look on Minseok’s face, the tone of his voice, he’s seen and heard before.

‘He’s scared of me.’ He thinks and somehow that hurts worse than anything else.

And Chanyeol doesn’t know what to say or do because Minseok is still shaking and the babies are still crying and Chanyeol feels like his world is falling apart.

“I-.” He starts but then he stops because he doesn’t know what to say. His instincts are telling him to soothe and reassure but he’s still too hurt, too betrayed, to want to. Minseok doesn’t deserve the comfort but Chanyeol knows he doesn’t deserve to be as scared as he is either. Instead he asks, “what are their names?”

“Kyungsoo and Sehun.” Minseok tells him and his voice trembles.

 “Oh.” Chanyeol says and he doesn’t know why he asked.

As they continue to drive the babies begin to settle, the gentle motion of the car soothing their frayed nerves, but they still cough and snuffle.

“Do you have medicine for them at home?” Chanyeol asks.

Minseok shakes his head.

Chanyeol sighs, “do you have the money for medicine?”

Minseok doesn’t answer.

“Minseok…” Chanyeol says.

“No.” He admits.

“How can you not afford medicine for your own children?” Chanyeol asks and his words are harsh. “It’s not like you don’t have a job. What do you waste it all on?”

“Food,” Minseok answers, “diapers, keeping a roof over their heads.”

“You should try harder.” Chanyeol tells him. “It’s not fair on them. You shouldn’t have brought them into this world if you weren’t prepared to look after them.”

“You say that as if it was ever a choice.” Minseok says.

“Wasn’t it?” Chanyeol says because everyone knows about unbonded omegas, knows about their promiscuity. “You should have been more careful.”

Minseok sighs, “you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Chanyeol frowns and he pulls in at the next pharmacy that they pass.

Minseok’s eyes are wide, not understanding why they’ve stopped, “are you kicking us out?”

The rain is still torrential and there’s another ten minutes drive to Minseok’s house.

“No.” Chanyeol is annoyed that Minseok would think him so heartless. “There’s a pharmacy. Tell me what medicine they need and I’ll go get it.”

“What?”

“What medicine do they need?” Chanyeol repeats and he ignores the bewildered look Minseok levels him with. “Come on, hurry up. You’re wasting my time.”

Minseok tells him and Chanyeol is relieved for a chance to be out of the car and away from Minseok’s scent.

He goes into the pharmacy and picks up what Minseok had asked for and there’s a moment when he freezes and wonders what on earth he’s doing: standing in a pharmacy in one of the roughest part of the city buying medicine for the sick children of the unbonded omega who has strung him along and lied to him for the last month.

But then he sighs and deflates and thinks of the tiny babies waiting for him in his car.

He knows he shouldn’t feel any obligation to them but impulse has him adding two lollipops to the boxes of medicine he’s stacked on the counter next to the register even though there’s a part of him that doubts the twins are old enough for them.

He keeps the paper bag with his purchases on his lap as he drives the remaining distance to where Minseok lives and he doesn’t hand it over even when they’ve pulled up outside the block of apartments the GPS directs him to.

“I’ll carry the stroller in.” Chanyeol says when Minseok gives him an uncertain look.

Minseok shakes his head, “no, it’s okay. I’ll manage.”

“You’ve only got two hands.” Chanyeol points out but he doesn’t know why he’s bothering to help when he can be putting distance between them.

Still, he gets out of the car and walks around to the passenger side to open the door for Minseok and then joins him in the lobby once he’s retrieved the stroller from the trunk.

“Where’s the elevator?” Chanyeol asks, shaking his head to unstick some of the wet hair that’s plastered to his forehead.

“It’s broken.” Minseok tells him and hurries to add, “just leave the stroller here and I’ll come down and get it once I’ve got the boys settled.”

“It’ll get stolen.” Chanyeol argues.

“I do this every day.” Minseok says in return. “And no one has ever taken it.”

He looks nervous, Chanyeol thinks, but resigned, too, like he knows Chanyeol is going to insist and he’s not wrong.

“Just accept my damn help.” Chanyeol snaps.

Minseok’s shoulders slump and he nods.

The stairwell is filthy. There’s half empty cartons of takeout and bottles of soju littering the steps and the walls are full of vulgar graffiti and Chanyeol feels like he’s stepped into a scene from a gritty indie movie. Except the smell of urine and rotting food is very real and the jeers from the group of teenagers they pass ring uncomfortably loud in his ears.

Chanyeol’s too busy trying to calm his breathing on reaching the third floor to really notice the tremors in Minseok’s hand as he unlocks his apartment door. He does however notice that he’s not explicitly invited in but he follows Minseok into the apartment anyway.

It is tiny.

There’s a kitchenette that’s nothing more than a couple of counters, a kettle and a microwave. A crib and a small sofa take up all the space on the wall opposite and there’s a faded playmat covering the dull wooden floor in the space in between. There’s a couple of clear plastic boxes filled with toys and neatly folded clothes next to the door Chanyeol guesses leads to the bathroom.

It’s tidy, almost disconcertingly so, but Chanyeol can still see mould on the walls and the single window. The bleach stains tell him that Minseok has been trying to get rid of it but, honestly, it’s no wonder the babies are sick.

Minseok lays the twins in the crib while Chanyeol struggles to find something to say as he leans the stroller by the door but it doesn’t end up mattering anyway because in a blink Minseok closes the distance between them, his lips hard and hot against Chanyeol’s, and he steals Chanyeol’s voice away.

So close Minseok’s scent clouds all rational thought and he kisses back and it’s hungry and it’s desperate and better than Chanyeol ever imagined it would be.

But then he realises what he’s doing, what’s happening, and he shoves Minseok away.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He shouts and his lips are tingling.

“That’s what you were expecting, wasn’t it?” Minseok asks. His chest his heaving and his eyes are wide. “You help me out so I have to owe you? That’s what usually happens.”

“What?!”

“Or is kissing not your thing?” Minseok asks and he moves forward again and presses a hand to Chanyeol’s crotch, palms at it through the fabric of his sweats. “Would you prefer I sucked you off first before I let you fuck me?”

“Jesus Christ, Minseok! Get off me!”

And when Chanyeol shoves him this time it’s hard enough to knock him onto his ass.

Minseok looks up at him with wet eyes and he suddenly looks so fragile and tiny but it’s not enough to stop the anger and horror that overwhelms Chanyeol’s every thought.

“Isn’t that what you wanted?” Minseok asks and the babies are screaming. 

“Don’t ever touch me again, you fucking whore!” Chanyeol hears himself shout. “Why would someone like you ever think it was okay to touch _me_?!”

“I’m sorry!” Minseok says and he’s not crying but he’s close.

Chanyeol takes a step forward and Minseok flinches away from him as if he’s expecting to be hit and the fight drains from him.

“Just… Just look after your fucking children.” Chanyeol says and he tosses the paper bag of medication he just remembers he’s holding at the floor by Minseok’s feet.

He slams the door on his way out and all but sprints down the stairs, passed the teenagers too quick for them to see that he’s crying, and out to his car.

He drives back the way they had come without thinking, then passed the centre and the restaurant and he doesn’t stop until he’s outside an apartment block that isn’t his own. He parks badly but he’s too far gone to really care.

He presses the intercom over and over until he hears a voice on the other side snap, “I will kill whoever this is, I swear to god.”

“It’s Chanyeol.” He says. “Let me in.”

“I should make you stand out in the rain for being so fucking annoying.”

“Please, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol pleads. “Please.”

“Fine.”

Baekhyun is waiting for him at the front door of his apartment and he doesn’t move to let him enter.

“Has something happened?” He asks, eyeing the drying tears on Chanyeol’s cheeks. “Is it your omega?”

“He’s not _my_ omega.” Chanyeol tells him.

“Shit. Okay.” Baekhyun says and steps to the side to let him passed. “Do you want to get drunk?”

Chanyeol nods, “yes, please.”

He drinks half a bottle of soju while Baekhyun showers and then they head to one of their favourite bars even if Chanyeol is really not dressed nice enough. Baekhyun buys them a few rounds of shots and Chanyeol downs four bottles of beer in fifteen minutes and they are stumbling into a cab to go back to Baekhyun’s before it’s even dark.

Later, when they’re sprawled together on Baekhyun’s leather sofa with fresh bottles of beer and boxes of takeout, Baekhyun asks, “are you ready to talk about it?”

“No.” Chanyeol answers and takes a long drink of his beer because he doesn’t think he’s drunk enough for this conversation. But Baekhyun waits for him to speak and he ends up sighing, “he lied to me, Baek.”

“About what?” Baekhyun asks. “Something big?”

“Really big.” Chanyeol nods. “Like so big I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to look at him the same.”

“Did he kill someone?”

“What? No.”

“Break a bond?”

“No.”

“Do time in jail?”

“Not as far as I’m aware.”

“Then I don’t see what the big problem is.” Baekhyun shrugs. “Just get together already.”

“It’s not as easy as that.” Chanyeol tells him.

“Why isn’t it?” Baekhyun asks.

“Because he’s not the person I thought he was.” Chanyeol says. “He did something really terrible and I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive him for it.”

“When?” Baekhyun asks and then at Chanyeol’s blank look elaborates, “when did he do it?”

“I don’t know, a couple of years ago.”

“So long before you knew him then? Christ, Chanyeol, he’s just a kid and kids fuck up.”

“He’s older than us.” Chanyeol mumbles, glumly.

“What the fuck? Are you shitting me?” Baekhyun asks but then he shakes his head. “Whatever, that’s not the point. People do stuff before you meet them, they make mistakes or bad decisions and they learn and they grow and you can’t hold that stuff against them, you know? The person you meet is not the same person they were when they were doing that dumb shit. Whatever he did happened long before you were on the scene, Chanyeol. He doesn’t need your forgiveness.”

“But it still hurts.” Chanyeol tells him and, suddenly, he’s on the verge of tears.

“Because he lied to you or because of what he did?”

“Both.” Chanyeol answers, honestly.

“Look, I’m not saying that you can’t be hurt about him lying to you, okay? Because that’s a pretty shitty thing to do. But whatever it is he did, it shouldn’t change how you feel about him now.” Baekhyun tells him.

Chanyeol wants Baekhyun to understand but he doesn’t want to say the truth out loud because then it’s real and he’ll never be able to take it back.

“It’s just… He has a lot of baggage and I don’t think I’m equipped to deal with it.”

Baekhyun sighs and then asks, “does he make you happy?”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol admits, begrudgingly.

“And you love him?”

“I probably shouldn’t.”

“But you can see you having a bunch of kids together and growing old and being ridiculously sappy and gross together, right?”

Chanyeol shakes his head, “not anymore.”

But it’s a lie.

He can still see himself waking up to Minseok’s smile. He can still see them cuddling on the sofa and kissing in the kitchen. He can see them being happy.

But there are the twins, too, and he doesn’t know if he’ll ever be able to love them. They’re not his and they never will be. No matter what happens, they’ll never smell enough like him.

Besides, he’s still a kid himself. He’s not ready for the responsibility that comes with parenthood.

“Christ, Chanyeol. I’m not saying you have to bond with him or anything but why don’t you try being happy and see where it gets you instead of throwing in the towel before you’ve even tried?”

Chanyeol frowns and finishes the rest of his beer and he knows that Baekhyun is right.

They could be happy together, he knows they could be.

In the weeks he’s known Minseok he’s spent hours imagining the life they’d build together. He’s imagined the big house in the suburbs with a dog and a handful of children that all have Minseok’s large eyes and beautiful smile.

He’s imagined the fights they’d have and all the different ways they’d make up and he knows that it wouldn’t be perfect – because what ever it is? – but it’d be theirs and they would be happy.

He knows they would be.

But the twins are a complication he hadn’t counted on. They’re living proof of Minseok’s promiscuity and the biggest middle finger to society that he could have given. Chanyeol knows that his parents would probably disown him for even contemplating a relationship with someone who has had children out of bond.

But why? Minseok hasn’t hurt anyone except himself. It’s a terrible thing to do but it’s still a mistake and Minseok is only human. Is it right for Chanyeol, for the whole world, to keep on punishing him for it? Shouldn’t they be trying to help him and his children instead of condemning them to a life of misery?

Because the twins are innocent in this and Minseok shouldn’t have to spend the rest of his life apologising. What’s happened has happened and there’s nothing that any of them can do to change the past.

And Chanyeol doesn’t want to be a dad, not yet, not for a long time, but he wants to be happy. He thinks he could be that with Minseok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to chat I'm on tumblr hrhqueencoco


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a shout out to cosmicfox.

He spends Sunday alone in his apartment thinking about how to approach Minseok, how to apologise for how he’d reacted and the things he’d said. He wants to explain that he’d been shocked and hurt because Minseok had lied to him. He wants to tell Minseok that he’s not angry about the twins, not really, because they’re Minseok’s and he’d learn to love them if Minseok would be willing to give him the chance to.

He wants to tell Minseok that he’d lied, too. That he still loves him, desperately so, and he’d give Minseok the world if it meant that they could start over.

And however much his dreams seem to focus on it, he tries not to think about Minseok’s lips on his or the way he’d touched him. Chanyeol knows it hadn’t been real. He knows Minseok had only done what he had because he’d thought Chanyeol would expect it from him. The thought had honestly never crossed Chanyeol’s mind. He’d given them a ride because it was raining and it was the right thing to do and not because he was expecting to be repaid in sexual favours.

But he realises now how backed into a corner Minseok must have felt, knowing he’d have to accept the ride for the babies’ sake but that there was also the possibility that he’d have to give himself to Chanyeol in payment. 

It makes his stomach churn and he avoids thinking about the people who Minseok has sold himself to in exchange for small acts of kindness.

He doesn’t think he can take any more heartbreak.

He distracts himself by googling every question he can think of about babies. He watches videos on how he should hold them and reads articles on how he can tell what they’re upset about. He learns more than he expects and it scares him because he’s not sure he’s ready.

Still, he wants to try. Even if all amounts to nothing, Chanyeol wants to be able to look back and know that he tried because a future without Minseok in is more terrifying than one with him and the twins.

Still, he’s scared and in shock but he’s determined, too.

He promises himself he’s going to try.

He meets Jongdae, Joonmyun, Baekhyun and Jongin at the centre the next morning and he lets himself get caught up in their excitement. The climbing frame and the swing set have arrived and there are a couple of men in bright jackets scoping out the garden. They talk to Joonmyun about where they want everything putting and they pump water from the holes Chanyeol had spent Saturday digging.  Chanyeol, Jongin and Baekhyun are roped into helping with the climbing frame’s construction while Joonmyun and Jongdae head out to the nearest garden centre to buy a shed.

They return just after noon with sandwiches and cold drinks and a trunk full of flowers but no shed.

“The one we wanted was out of stock.” Jongdae laments with a rueful smile as he shares the food out. “They’re going to deliver it later in the week.”

“Bummer.” Jongin mutters and he eyes the flowers with distaste.

It’s just after two when they’re finished putting the climbing frame and the swing set up and they spend a whole half an hour after the workmen have gone congratulating themselves on a job well done.

“I can’t believe how good it looks.” Chanyeol says over and over because he can’t. They’ve worked so hard and it feels like it’s all finally coming together. Chanyeol doesn’t think he’s ever been so proud of anything he’s done before.

It takes them a couple of trips to retrieve all the pots of flowers and bags of soil from Jongdae’s car. They empty the bags into the flowerbeds before Joonmyun pulls up a video on his iPad on how they should actually plant the flowers because none of them have done it before and it’s going really well.

It’s going really well until Chanyeol hears Joonmyun telling someone that they should leave and it’s his tone rather than his words that catches his attention.

Chanyeol turns to see what he’s going on and he’s expecting a hundred different scenarios but not one where Minseok is stood at the door to the garden looking pale and unsure with one of his eyes purple and swelling shut.

“Minseok?” He asks and Minseok looks passed Joonmyun to him and Chanyeol feels anger bubble in the pit of his stomach.

“Can I talk to you?” Minseok asks.

Chanyeol is on his feet in a second. He ignores Joonmyun’s glare and the others’ curious glances as he follows Minseok back into the centre, making sure to close the door behind them.

He reaches out to touch Minseok’s face but lets his hand drop to his side when Minseok flinches away from his touch. He has to fight to keep his anger from showing, “who did this?”

“I don’t have a lot of time, I’m just on my break.” Minseok tells him and he pulls some money from his pocket and tries to give it to Chanyeol. “I just wanted to give you this- to pay you back for Saturday.”

“Minseok.” Chanyeol says, refusing to be deterred. “Who hit you?”

But then he catches a scent over the top of Minseok’s and his heart stops.

Jihoon.

“Wh- what?” Chanyeol stutters and he’s shaking. “You and him? Are you..?”

Minseok doesn’t look up from the floor, money still grasped tightly in his fist.

“ _Why?_ ”

“He loves me.” Minseok says and it sounds like he’s trying to convince himself as much as he is Chanyeol.

‘But I love you!’ Chanyeol wants to scream.

He doesn’t.

Instead he asks, “but what about the twins?”

“He knows about them.” Minseok tells him and Chanyeol knows then without a doubt that it’s this knowledge that Jihoon’s been holding over Minseok’s head. “He said he’s going to help me.”

“And you believed him?”

“What choice do I have?” Minseok spits and his voice catches in his throat. He coughs and his chest rattles. “Tell me, Chanyeol. Who on earth would want me?”

Chanyeol is shocked into silence because he doesn’t understand.

He just doesn’t understand.

He wants Minseok, he wants him _so much_.

“I need to go.” Minseok says.

“What time do you finish?” Chanyeol asks and he’s suddenly desperate. He needs to make this right. “Let me give you a ride home.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Please.” Chanyeol begs.

Their eyes meet and there’s still that thrill of _something_ despite everything that’s happened.

Minseok is the first to look away. He sighs and relents, “I pick the boys up at half seven.”

“Okay.” Chanyeol says.

“Okay.” Says Minseok.

And Chanyeol watches Minseok walk away and he’s too shaken to do anything when the omega looks back at him before disappearing out of sight.

“What did he want?” Jongdae asks as soon as Chanyeol steps back into the garden.

“Are you okay?” Jongin asks because there’s no colour in Chanyeol’s face and he’s shaking. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“He’s with someone else.” Chanyeol tells them.

“What?!” Jongdae shouts as Baekhyun asks, “he’s bonded with them?”

“Not yet but his scent is all over him.” Chanyeol mumbles. “It’s only a matter of time.”

“Who?” Jongin asks.

“The restaurant owner.”

“That asshole? Are you serious?” Jongdae asks. “But he’s-.”

“You’re better off, Chanyeol.” Joonmyun cuts in and his voice is firm. Chanyeol just looks at him because his heart is breaking and _he knows_. He knows Minseok’s biggest secret and he loves him anyway. Why doesn’t Joonmyun understand? “You can do better than him.”

“I don’t want to do better.” Chanyeol says.

And the subject is dropped because Chanyeol is choking back a sob and none of them want to be the one who pushes him over the edge.

The rest of the afternoon drags by. Jongin tries to make jokes and Baekhyun plays the fool and Jongdae and Joonmyun act as if everything is normal, as if everything is okay, even though it’s really not and Chanyeol hates it.

He’s relieved when they leave at last.

He sits on one of the swings and trawls through his social media accounts to pass the time. He knows that his friends have worked out what he’s doing because Baekhyun sends him photos of cats and Jongdae writes an essay that Chanyeol doesn’t know how to reply to. Jongin sends him a simple ‘hwaiting!’ which means more than he expects it to. He doesn’t hear from Joonmyun.

Seven rolls arounds and he moves to sit on one of the benches by the entrance. It isn’t until nearly eight that Minseok comes sprinting into the parking lot and Chanyeol follows him into the centre without a word. He knows Minseok will be the last parent to pick up their child because he’s seen so many people come and go. He knows, too, that the crèche was meant to close half an hour ago.

He listens as Minseok is scolded by an irritated member of staff and watches as he bows and apologises and wonders if it’s Jihoon’s fault that he’s late. The woman eyes him with disdain and tells him that he should try harder and it pains Chanyeol to hear words that he has spoken being thrown in Minseok’s face.

He wonders how often Minseok is told that he’s not doing enough and how much it must hurt.

But still Minseok smiles at his sons when they let out gleeful shouts as he approaches them, holding onto the railings of the playpen to keep themselves upright as they bob up and down in excitement.

“Hello, my beautiful boys.” Chanyeol hears him murmur and his heart aches because Minseok’s voice is so soft, so full of love. “Daddy has missed you so much.”

Chanyeol grabs the stroller from the small cloakroom while Minseok picks up the twins and they are all but chased from the centre by the staff member as she locks first the crèche and then the centre behind them.

“They seem better.” Chanyeol says as they walk towards his car.

“They’re still a little chesty but they’re doing a lot better.” Minseok agrees and the small smile he gives Chanyeol makes his heart flutter. “Thank you. For Saturday, I mean. And I’m sorry, too, for acting the way I did.”

Chanyeol nearly chokes on his tongue as he races to say, “you’re joking, right?”

“What do you mean?” Minseok asks and he seems genuinely puzzled.

“I was an asshole, Minseok.” Chanyeol tells him, wincing as he remembers all the terrible things he’d said. Shame and horror rises in him but he ploughs on anyway, scared that he’s going to lose his nerve, “I said some really horrible stuff and you didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry, okay? I’m really fucking sorry.”

“Okay.” Minseok says and Chanyeol doesn’t know whether he’s been forgiven, if he’s even deserves to be.

He doubts it.

He unlocks the car and holds the passenger door open for Minseok, not closing it until he’s seated and settled, and Chanyeol thinks how easy it would be to do the same thing every day for the rest of their lives.

But then he’s reminded of the truth when he gets into the car and can smell Jihoon’s foul scent smothering Minseok’s.

He wants to ask him why but he knows he’d just be asking a question he already knows the answer to so he doesn’t waste his breath.

Because he’d had his chance. The way that Minseok had looked at him with hope shining so brightly in his eyes is an image that is going to haunt his dreams, he just knows it.

He hates himself for it.

And yet, and yet he’s determined to try because Minseok isn’t bonded and there’s always hope.

“How about we grab some dinner?” He asks as he starts the engine, his tone deliberately light.

“Chanyeol…” Minseok says with a sigh. “I have the twins, I can’t just leave them at home.”

“No, I know. I meant for them to come, too. Like, the four of us.” Chanyeol tell him and he’s trying. He promised himself he would. “It’ll be fun.”

“I don’t have any money.” Minseok reminds him.

“It’s my treat.” Chanyeol says, his tone still forcedly cheerful, and it’s so easy to pretend that Saturday never happened, so easy to pretend that neither of them are hurting.

“You’re already giving us a ride.”

“So?”

“The boys will have already eaten.” Minseok says but Chanyeol knows he wants to say yes.

He doesn’t understand why but he tells himself not to think about it too much.

 “Then they can just have some of whatever we’re having- if they want it.” Chanyeol shrugs but there’s excitement bubbling in his chest because, suddenly, there’s hope. “Please? Just this once?”

“Fine.” Minseok grumbles but Chanyeol can see he’s fighting back a smile.

And it’s like the weight of the world has fallen from Minseok’s shoulders and he looks young, exceptionally so, and just so beautiful, even with his eye bruised and swollen shut.

“Mwah!” One of the twins shouts then. “Mwah, mwah!”

“Mwah!” Minseok repeats as kisses the baby on his cheek. He laughs when he asks, “are you giving out kisses, Sehun?”

“Mwah!” The other twin demands, bouncing a tiny fist off Minseok’s chin.

“I didn’t forget about you, Kyungsoo.” Minseok tells him and he gives him a kiss, too.

“Could you be any more adorable?” Chanyeol mutters under his breath.

Minseok’s ears turn pink even though he pretends not to have heard.

Chanyeol takes them to one of his favourite American restaurants and it feel strange and awkward to ask for two high chairs but their server doesn’t even bat an eye at his request. She coos over the twins until she gets close enough to smell them over the food in the air and then her smile turns into a sneer. She looks Minseok up and down, her expression one of disgust, but Minseok doesn’t react. He just focuses on the twins and gives them kisses as they wiggle in his arms.

“Is there a problem?” Chanyeol asks, anger welling in the pit of his stomach on Minseok’s behalf.

There’s guilt, too, because he knows his reaction was so many times worse than this.

“Chanyeol…” Minseok sighs.

“No, there’s no problem.” Their server says but she shoots one last glare at Minseok before leading them further into the restaurant.

They’re seated in a booth with the two highchairs at the head of the table and it takes no small amount of effort to wrestle the boys into them.

“They’re excited.” Minseok half apologises.

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol says and he forces himself to calm down.

There’s no point in getting angry and ruining things when they’re already on such unsteady ground. Minseok is acting as if everything is normal, as if the woman’s reaction is nothing out of the ordinary.

Maybe it isn’t.

Chanyeol feels his stomach twist.

The twins demand their attention. They kick their feet and bang their fists but they’re grinning and laughing, too.

And Chanyeol has no idea what he’s doing so he follows Minseok’s lead. He pulls silly faces and tickles at the babies’ chins and Sehun and Kyungsoo clap and squeal and giggle so he guesses that he’s doing something right. He feels awkward at first, hesitant and uncertain what he’s doing is okay, but that soon melts away. They’re such happy little souls that he feels almost guilty even if he doesn’t understand why.

Sehun’s sitting closest to him and it’s too awkward for Minseok to reach him properly so Chanyeol helps him with his sippy cup and he wipes at his chin with a napkin when he gets drool all down it.

He’s feeling proud of himself, like he can actually do it, that maybe babies aren’t really as terrifying as he’s always thought, but then Sehun starts to fuss just as their food arrives and Chanyeol doesn’t understand why at first until he catches scent of something foul.

“Oh my god.” He says, trying not to retch, because no amount of internet research has prepared him for the reality of a full diaper.

Minseok laughs at him, “you look like you’re going to be sick.”

“It’s so, so bad.” Chanyeol tells him, pinching at his nose. “How can something so small and cute make such a horrible smell?”

“It’s what babies do.” Minseok tells him and he gets up from the table. He slings his messenger bag over his shoulder and lifts Sehun from his highchair before freezing. “You don’t mind watching Kyungsoo while I go change Sehun, do you? I mean, I can take him with me if-.”

“It’s fine, just go.” Chanyeol forces himself to smile because he’s really not sure if he trusts himself with Kyungsoo, all his previous confidence evaporating into nothing, and he doesn’t understand how Minseok can.

His friends don’t even trust him with their houseplants.

“I’ll be quick.” Minseok promises.

Minseok leaves for the bathroom with Sehun and Chanyeol gives Kyungsoo a suspicious look, trying to play it cool even if his heart is hammering in his chest. He asks, “are you going to turn into a monster now your daddy’s gone?”

 Kyungsoo grins at him and Chanyeol thinks that this is it, he might as well call the whole thing off because there’s no way they’re both going to get through this unscathed, but Kyungsoo just gives a little shout and makes grabby hands at Minseok’s plate.

“Are you hungry?” He asks and Kyungsoo shouts again.

He gives him a few fries from his plate and Kyungsoo chews happily on them. Chanyeol watches him like a hawk and feels like he’s on the verge of a heart attack every time Kyungsoo makes a noise or moves.

Somehow, they survive their time alone and Chanyeol is definitely the more relieved of the two when Minseok returns.

The whole experience is worth it though for the smile that Minseok gives him.

Sehun demands fries, too, once he’s back in his highchair and Chanyeol is more than happy to share. It keeps the twins quiet as Chanyeol and Minseok eat but not quiet enough to leave them without any kind of distraction.

They don’t talk, not really, but it’s okay, it’s good, because Chanyeol has never seen Minseok so relaxed.

The twins start to get grumpy as dinner draws to a close and they fall asleep curled against Minseok’s chest before they’ve even pulled out of the parking lot.

The car is quiet the whole way to Minseok’s apartment and tension thrums through Chanyeol as he thinks about all the things he wants to say but doesn’t know how to put into words. He drums his fingers against the steering wheel and fidgets in his seat and Minseok looks at him as if he’s knows everything Chanyeol wants to say.

Chanyeol carries the stroller up to Minseok’s apartment but he doesn’t enter this time and Minseok looks relieved.

They linger at the doorway and Chanyeol can’t help but think how strong Minseok is. And it’s not because of the way he’s so effortlessly holding Kyungsoo and Sehun, supporting the weight of a twin on each arm, their bodies flat against his chest and their heads on his shoulders, but because of how he stands straight and he holds his head high and he looks Chanyeol in the eyes and dares him to speak.

“I’m sorry.” Chanyeol says and he doesn’t think he’s ever meant anything more. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“I’m not a whore.” Minseok tells him.

“I know.”

“You hurt me.”

“I know.” Chanyeol says again and he does.

“Okay.” Minseok says.

It’s not forgiveness, not even close, but it’s a start.

“I should go.” Chanyeol says.

Minseok nods, “yeah.”

“Will I see you tomorrow?”

“Maybe.” Minseok says and that’s good enough.

And Chanyeol’s dreams that night are wisps of things he can’t hold as much as he tries but there’s hope there, too, and he knows he just needs to keep trying.

“How did it go?” Jongdae asks the next day.

“Good.” Chanyeol answers and it isn’t exactly a lie.

“Did you talk?”

“Not really. We went out for dinner.”

“And you didn’t talk?” Jongdae raises an eyebrow at him. “Jesus, Chanyeol.”

“It’s complicated.” Chanyeol tells him and it’s true.

They finish planting the rest of the flowers and start painting the wooden frames of the flowerbeds. Chanyeol tries not to think about Kyungsoo and Sehun just down the hall in the crèche but finds himself wondering if they’ll like the bright colours of the flowers, take enjoyment from their sweet smells.

They go to the restaurant at lunch even though Jongdae suggests that they try somewhere different. Chanyeol makes up half-hearted excuses why they can’t go anywhere else. Jongdae knows the truth, that Chanyeol’s willing to put up with the awkwardness, with Jihoon’s gloating, if it means he gets to see Minseok.

It’s Yixing who seats them at their usual table and he looks nervous as he hands them menus, eyes flicking to the door to the kitchens.

“Is it really wise,” he asks in a quiet voice, “for you to be here?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Chanyeol asks, feeling defensive and ignoring the hand that Jongdae puts on his shoulder.

“Minseok is my friend.” Yixing tells him. “I can’t keep seeing him get hurt.”

“I’d never hurt him.” Chanyeol says and the words feel heavy on his tongue because they’re a lie.

Yixing knows it is, too.

He asks, “weren’t you the one who pushed him into Jihoon’s arms?”

Chanyeol can’t meet his eyes.

“He doesn’t like Jihoon, though, does he?” Jongdae asks and he squeezes Chanyeol’s shoulder. “Not really. He can’t.”

“He needs this job.” Yixing says.

“Not that much.” Jongdae says and he sounds as desperate at Chanyeol feels. “Even if he is unbonded, there’s got to be something else. This can’t be the only place willing to hire him.”

“It’s complicated.” Chanyeol tells him for the second time that day. 

Yixing nods and Jongdae looks between them, knows that he’s missing something, but neither of them give up Minseok’s secret. He sighs.

Yixing takes their drink orders and Chanyeol feels tension coil in his gut because he’s still not seen Minseok and Jihoon is missing from his usual spot by the bar.

“What are you keeping from me?” Jongdae asks.

“Nothing.” Chanyeol lies and he tells himself that it’s not because he’s ashamed or scared of what Jongdae will say. He tells himself he’s protecting Minseok, keeping the twins safe. He shifts in his seat and cranes his neck looking around the restaurant. “It’s not important.”

“Fine.” Jongdae says but it’s not.

He pulls out his phone and starts to flick through it and doesn’t look at Chanyeol when he says, “Jongdae… Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad.” Jongdae tells him.

“You are.” Chanyeol kicks at him under the table to get his attention. “I’ve known you since elementary school, I know when you’re mad.”

“But you apparently can’t tell when I’m trying to help?” Jongdae shoots straight back at him.

Chanyeol goes to say something but then the door to the kitchens opens and Minseok comes out.

His eye looks worse today, Chanyeol notes almost absently, the bruise deepening to black, but as horrible as it is, it’s not that what catches his attention.

It’s the swell of his lips and the mess of his hair, as if someone has been grabbing fistfuls of it, and the hands that circle his narrow waist. It’s the smug look on Jihoon’s face and the way Minseok withdraws into himself, cringing away from his touch.

It’s obvious that they’ve been up to _something_ and it makes Chanyeol feel sick.

Minseok must catch his scent because he looks straight at Chanyeol, his eyes wide and glassy, and their gazes meet for a split second before the omega looks away.

Jihoon looks to see what had caught Minseok’s attention and Chanyeol sees a flash of fury on his face before he smothers it down. They glare at each other and Chanyeol can feel his blood boil in his veins. The primal part of him wants to sprint across the restaurant and launch himself at Jihoon. He wants to hit and bite and _hurt_ him, wants to make it so that he never touches Minseok again, but he doesn’t.

He _can’t._

So instead he watches Jihoon scrapes his teeth across the soft skin of Minseok’s neck, watches him whisper into Minseok’s ear and sees the fear that flickers across the omega’s face. He bristles as he imagines how Jihoon is using the twins against him.

“Jesus.” Jongdae whispers and Chanyeol forces himself to look at him. “You need to calm down.”

Chanyeol doesn’t understand what he means but then Jongdae nods at his hands and Chanyeol realises he’s been gripping the edge of the table so hard that his knuckles are white. He quickly lets go and balls his hands into fists under the table instead.

Yixing serves them and Minseok avoids their table, tries to avoid looking at Chanyeol, but he can’t help himself. Their eyes meet more than once and Chanyeol feels sparks of heat deep in the pit of his stomach, overpowering the anger and reminding him how much he loves Minseok, how much he wants to protect him, keep him and the twins safe. He wants Minseok to know that, too, but it’s hard when Minseok is always the first to look away.

Jihoon doesn’t help.

He makes a show of touching Minseok whenever he can. Hands grabbing at his ass and his hips and teeth and lips nipping and sucking at the base of his throat. He smiles at the way that Minseok flinches, how he stiffens at his touch, but doesn’t try to resist.

Chanyeol rages but he does nothing.

He can’t and he won’t risk Minseok’s job. He won’t let himself be selfish when he knows how much it means to him, just how much he’s willing to give up in order to feed the two small mouths he has depending on him.

And it’s easier to think that Minseok is with Jihoon because he needs to be for his job and not because Chanyeol told him he didn’t love him.

He tries to distract himself by talking to Jongdae but Jongdae is still angry and unwilling to go along with Chanyeol’s attempts at conversation, preferring to spend his time on his phone or glaring at Jihoon.

It’s one of the most awkward hours of Chanyeol’s life but he’s not relieved when it’s over because he knows that once he’s stepped foot outside the restaurant that Minseok will be completely at Jihoon’s mercy. It makes him feel sick.

It’s when they’re getting ready to leave that Jihoon gets called away into the kitchens.

Minseok waits until the door is closed before racing over to Chanyeol and Jongdae’s table, abandoning the tray of drinks he had been preparing. Chanyeol is already on his feet and he helps close the distance between them.

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asks and, without thinking, he reaches to brush some of Minseok’s hair from his face.

There’s a split second when Chanyeol thinks that Minseok leans into his touch but then he’s pulling away, “you shouldn’t come here anymore.”

“I needed to see you.” Chanyeol tells him.

“It’s not safe.” Minseok says.

“What has he said?” Chanyeol demands. Then he drops his voice so Jongdae can’t hear, “has he threatened the twins?”

Minseok shakes his head, “he said he’s going to hurt you.”

“Me?” Chanyeol asks.

“He said he could smell you on me this morning. He- I’ve never seen him so angry.” Minseok tells him and there’s a waver to his voice that Chanyeol isn’t expecting. “So we can’t see each other anymore, okay? This has to be goodbye because I can’t see you getting hurt. Not because of me.”

“What?” Chanyeol swallows around the lump in his throat. “But I love you.”

“No you don’t.” Minseok shakes his head and wipes away the tear that spills down Chanyeol’s cheek. “How could somebody like you love me?”

“Minseok, please…”

“You’re so young and there’s still so much you want to do. Don’t throw your life away for me.” Minseok smiles but there are tears in his eyes. “I’m not worth it.”

‘You are!’ Chanyeol wants to scream. ‘You are everything I could ever want and _I love you_!’

But he doesn’t because he knows that it’s not enough. 

“You’re making a mistake.” Jongdae says, coming to stand at Chanyeol’s side and putting a hand on the small of his back. “Jihoon is never going to treat you right.”

“He’ll let me keep my job as long as I’m with him.” Minseok says.

“Your job isn’t worth the bruises he gives you.” Jongdae tells him. “Nothing is.”

“You don’t understand.” Minseok says.

Jongdae opens his mouth to respond but then they all freeze when they hear Jihoon’s voice call Minseok’s name from across the restaurant.

Minseok is the first to recover. He pushes at their chests and hisses, “go, quickly!”

“Minseok, I-.” Chanyeol tries but Jongdae grabs his arm and pulls him from the restaurant before he can finish. Chanyeol doesn’t even try to fight him.

“Get in the car.” Jongdae snaps at him and Chanyeol does so without question, his mind reeling.

He stares out of the window but doesn’t really see any of the buildings or the people that they pass. He’s in too much shock to even realise that Jongdae is driving in the opposite direction of the community centre.

All he can hear and see is Minseok’s face when he asked, ‘how could somebody like you love me?’ and Chanyeol replays it over and over again.

It hurts, like his heart is being ripped in two, because he had said those words in anger and Minseok had used them against him, sounded like he believed them when they were the biggest lie that Chanyeol has ever told.

Because he loves Minseok.

He loves him more than he thought it was possible to love anyone and Minseok had pushed him away as if it meant nothing.

“Chanyeol.” Jongdae says and Chanyeol jumps. They’re in the parking lot outside Jongdae’s apartment building and he has no memory of getting there. “Come on, let’s go upstairs and then we can talk, okay?”

Chanyeol nods and they walk to his apartment without speaking.

“Sit.” Jongdae says, pointing at the sofa once they’re inside and Chanyeol does as he’s told. Jongdae remains standing, his arms crossed over his chest. “Now talk to me.”

“Do you remember,” Chanyeol starts, his words slow and uneven, “that night at Joonmyun’s a couple of weeks back?”

Jongdae frowns, “the day we got the garden measured for the climbing frame?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol nods. “We had that talk just before I left, about the twins in the crèche-.”

“And how their mom couldn’t afford medicine? Yeah, I remember. How is that…” He trails off, still frowning. “I don’t understand. What has that got to do with Minseok?”

Chanyeol just stares at him, waits for him to get it, and there’s a minute of silence as Jongdae thinks and thinks. Chanyeol sees his eyes widen the moment he realises.

“What the fuck?!” Jongdae yells.

“I know.” Chanyeol says.

“Jesus Christ. That’s- that’s just..!”

“I _know_.” Chanyeol says again.

Jongdae drops onto the sofa next to him, “fucking hell. That’s messed up.”

Chanyeol nods, not knowing what to say.

“How long have you known?” Jongdae asks.

“Since Saturday.” Chanyeol tells him.

“And you still love him?”

There’s no judgement in Jongdae’s voice but Chanyeol still feels apprehensive about telling the truth. He doesn’t want to lose Jongdae as a friend but he can’t deny he loves Minseok.

“Yeah.” He admits. “I love him.”

Jongdae doesn’t say anything.

Chanyeol shifts on the sofa and runs a hand through his hair. He sneaks a look at Jongdae but can’t read the look on his face.

A minute goes by and then another and Chanyeol sighs. He stands, “look, I know-.”

“Where are you going?” Jongdae asks, cutting him off.

“You’re obviously uncomfortable.” Chanyeol shrugs. “So I’m just going to leave, okay? I love him and I can’t change that so I’m just going to go. I don’t want to get into a fight with you about this.”

“I don’t want a fight.” Jongdae tells him. “And I don’t want you to leave, not until we’ve fixed this.”

Chanyeol freezes, “what?”

“We’re going to fix this.” Jongdae repeats and Chanyeol has to blink back tears. Jongdae looks so earnest and determined and Chanyeol feels a warmth bloom in his chest. He has never felt so lucky to have Jongdae as a friend. “We can’t let Minseok get hurt anymore.”

“What can we do?” Chanyeol asks. “He can’t just quit his job.”

“So we find him a new one.” Jongdae says.

“No one is going to want to hire an unbonded omega.  Especially not one with kids.” Chanyeol points out.

“Think about it, Chanyeol. Your parents have their own business and so do Joonmyun’s, I’m sure if we asked that they’d be able to find Minseok something.” Jongdae says with a shrug.

“Joonmyun isn’t going to want to help us.” Chanyeol tells him. “He hates Minseok.”

“Then we look at other options.” Jongdae replies. “We’ll find something.”

And they do.

It takes hours of phone calls and Chanyeol whining to his father and asking favours from his employees but they finally find something.

It isn’t much, a job on reception at one of the showrooms his parent’s company owns, but its five days a week with a wage just above the minimum. It should be enough for Minseok and the twins to get by, if Chanyeol and Jongdae’s maths is right, and it’s away from the restaurant and Jihoon.

It should be enough.

But it isn't perfect. The showroom is the other side of the city to where Minseok lives, closer to Chanyeol’s apartment and the university but still a ten minute drive away from there, and there’s no buses that run all the way through.

“It’s not going to work.” Chanyeol says with a sigh.

“It is.” Jongdae argues. “You’ve got a car, haven’t you? You can drive him there and back again.”

“What about when classes start up again?” Chanyeol asks.

“Then I can get him- or Jongin or Baekhyun.” Jongdae says. “You’re our friend, Chanyeol, and Minseok is important to you. We can all help out, especially if it’s to get him out of the situation he’s in now.”

Chanyeol nods and he knows Jongdae thinks he's telling the truth. Chanyeol hopes that Jongin and Baekhyun would agree to help, after an hour or two of begging from Chanyeol and another few complaining, that they would crumble and do whatever he asks of them. He knows that they'd maybe treat Minseok differently, perhaps even be intentionally unkind instead of being the unwitting assholes they are now, but he hopes they'd come around.

He's been lucky with Jongdae, he knows he has, but, as nervous as he was about telling him about the twins, Jongdae was always going to be the easiest of their friends to win over. Jongdae has always been the most open to different ways of thinking, the most understanding and forgiving. Jongdae was never going to be the problem.

“It'll be okay.” Jongdae tells him with a soft smile. “It will, you'll see.”

“How am I meant to even talk to him about it?” Chanyeol asks. “I can't go back the restaurant and I can't wait for him at the centre. It could be weeks before we ran into each other and we don't have that amount of time. I mean, I could stake the place out but I don't think I'd be able to do that for long before someone called the cops.”

“Yeah, your parents would be pretty pissed if you got yourself arrested after the strings they've had to pull to get Minseok this job.” Jongdae says.

They’d be even more pissed if they found out exactly who they’d given a job to but he tries not to think about that.

“So what am I going to do?”

Jongdae suddenly looks very pleased with himself, “we wait. I left my number on a napkin for Yixing to find when he cleared our table. He'll pass it on, I know he will.”

“That doesn’t mean Minseok will call.” Chanyeol says. “You heard what he said.”

“He’ll call.” Jongdae reassures him. “Trust me.”

It's late evening by then so they order take out and watch TV while they wait. Jongdae gives him a brief overview of his weekend with his parents before asking to be caught up on everything that happened while he was away. So Chanyeol tells him about finding out about the twins, how terribly he had reacted and the way Minseok had thrown himself at him in his apartment. He tells him about drinks with Baekhyun, the conversation he'd had with Minseok at the centre and then dinner the previous night.

“And I don't really know what I'm doing but I know I love him, despite everything that's happened and how hard I know it's going to be. I love him so, so much.” Chanyeol tells him, too. “It hurts to think of any kind of future without him.”

It's at twenty past nine that Jongdae's phone begins to ring.

Jongdae answers it quickly, “hello? Minseok? Oh, thank God. Are you okay? Good. I'm going to pass you over to Chanyeol, okay?”

Chanyeol nearly snatches the phone from Jongdae's hands, “Minseok?”

“I'm here.” Minseok says and he sounds exhausted.

“Are you at home?”

“Yeah, we just got in. The boys are asleep in the stroller still, I need to put them to bed.”

“They finally fix the elevator?”

“It only took them three months.”

There's a few seconds where all Chanyeol can hear is Minseok's breathing.

“We can't keep doing this.” Minseok says at last.

“We can.” Chanyeol tells him. “And we will.”

“If Jihoon finds out-.”

“You don't have to worry about him anymore.” Chanyeol says and he smiles. “We found you another job.”

“What?”

“It's nothing special but the pay is okay and it gets you away from the restaurant.” Chanyeol explains.

“Do they know about me? About the boys?” Minseok asks.

“No but they don't need to. It's one of the showrooms for my parent's company, nobody will say anything if they know what's good for them but if they do then you need to tell me straight away, okay? I'll make sure you're treated right.”

“Chanyeol...”

“You start on Monday and you'll get paid the last Friday of every month. I'll give you whatever you need until you get your first paycheck.” Chanyeol says and he feels almost giddy with excitement. “You'll need to dress smartly but it's okay if you don't have anything because Jongdae's said he'll lend you some clothes until you can afford to get your own. The only thing is that the showroom is the opposite side of the city to where you live and there's no buses but it'll be okay. I'll pick you up every morning and we'll take the boys to the centre before I drop you off at work and then I'll get you when you're finished and I'll take you home. When classes start I might not be able to get you every day but Jongdae will, or Jongin or Baekhyun. There'll always be someone there to get you, okay?”

“What happens when you get bored with me?”

“Minseok-.”

“Or when your friends find out about Kyungsoo and Sehun? Do you still think they'd want to help? Or do you think they'll call me a whore, too? Tell me how worthless I am?”

Chanyeol bristles, “why are you being like this? I thought you'd be happy!”

Jongdae, who had until then been listening in silence, hisses a warning, “Chanyeol!”

Chanyeol tries to stop the hurt building up in his chest, “why won't you just say yes? Do you know how hard we've worked to get you this?”

He hears Minseok sigh before he asks, “what do you want from me, Chanyeol?”

“I want you to be safe and happy.” Chanyeol says and then after a beat he adds, “I want you to love me.”

“You shouldn't want that.” Minseok tells him. “I'll only weigh you down.”

“Don't you understand?” Chanyeol asks and his voice is laced with desperation. “I know about the twins and I still love you anyway. I love you and I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me. I want to make you smile and laugh and be _happy_.”

Minseok doesn't say anything for a long moment and Jongdae rubs at Chanyeol's tense shoulders, trying to offer him comfort.

“I'm tired, Chanyeol.” Minseok says at last.

“I know you are.”

“And I'm not going to make any promises about giving you what you want.”

“That's okay.” Chanyeol tells him and it is. “We don’t have to think about that yet. It’s not what’s important right now, okay? Let’s just work on getting you away from the restaurant first.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I'll take the job.”

Chanyeol smiles so wide that his face hurts, “you will?”

“Yeah.” Minseok says and Chanyeol thinks he's smiling, too. “But I have to go now, okay? I need to put the boys to bed.”

“I'll get your number from Jongdae's phone and I'll message you about picking up clothes and Monday.”

“Okay.” Minseok says. “Thank you. For all of this, I mean.”

“You're welcome.” Chanyeol says. “I'll talk to you soon.”

“Good night, Chanyeol.” Minseok says and then he hangs up.

“That was more difficult than I expected it to be.” Chanyeol tells Jongdae as he types Minseok's number into his phone. “I seriously thought he was going to say no.”

“We are asking a lot from him.” Jongdae points out. “This is a huge leap and we're just telling him to trust us without him knowing what he's getting himself in to.”

“It'll be better than the restaurant.” Chanyeol says.

“Of course it will be but it's still the unknown. That's scary, especially when he has his children to think about as well.” Jongdae says.

“Minseok is the strongest person I know.” Chanyeol tells him, his eyes wide and his voice serious. “After seeing where he lives and the knowing the job he does and how the world looks at him, I don't know how he can get out of bed in the morning. I don't think I'd be able to and I'm meant to be an alpha, I'm supposed to be the strong one.”

“That kind of strength doesn't have anything to do with what caste you are.” Jongdae says and, for the first time in his life, Chanyeol starts to really think about what it means to be an alpha or an omega or a beta.

He thinks that, perhaps, he’s been wrong this whole time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for all the lovely comments and Kudos, they really push me to keep on writing. I hope this chapter is just as good!

Chanyeol messages Minseok the next morning about going around to Jongdae's after work the following day. He gets a response mid-afternoon confirming the time that Chanyeol should pick him and the twins up.

The shed is waiting for them when they get to the centre and he and Jongdae spend most of the day putting it up and then painting it. It's difficult with just the two of them but Joonmyun is busy with his dad's business, Baekhyun is visiting his grandma and Jongin is ignoring their calls. They manage though in the end, even with Chanyeol checking his phone every five minutes for a response from Minseok, and they're pleased with the end result.

At the end of the day they make a list of everything they have left to do and both of them are a little sad when they realise there's not much more to go. But they're excited, too, and Chanyeol is looking forward to seeing all the kid's faces when they play in the garden. He hopes that they'll like it.

When they're done he talks Jongdae into going shopping with him under the guise of buying toys for the garden and he doesn't reveal his true intentions until they have a cart overflowing with balls, skipping ropes, hula hoops and anything else that they remember enjoying as kids.

“Car seats?” Jongdae asks.

“For the twins.” Chanyeol explains. “If I'm going to be driving them around twice a day then they're going to need them, aren't they? It's not safe to have them sitting on Minseok's lap all the time.”

“Yeah, I guess. Have you asked Minseok if he has any?”

“He doesn't have a car.” Chanyeol reminds him. “And I've seen the entirety of his apartment. There wasn't room to store any car seats anywhere. That place was smaller than my master bathroom, I swear.”

Jongdae nods and they wander down the aisle looking at all the options available, growing more and more confused.

“Why is there so much choice?”

“How old are the twins? Surely that's a good place to start.” Jongdae reasons.

“Yeah...” Chanyeol trails off.

“You don't know how old they are?” Jongdae asks.

“I know they're babies.”

“I'm going to need more than that.”

“They're really small?”

“Jesus Christ, Chanyeol.” Jongdae says and Chanyeol hopes that he's just trying to sound annoyed. “Didn't you ask?”

“No. Was I supposed to?”

“If you want to buy stuff like this for them then yeah.”

Chanyeol swears and pulls his phone from his pocket. It's approaching seven and he thinks Minseok will be getting off work soon so he sends him a message asking how old the twins are while Jongdae continues to bitch at him.

They grab a second cart while they wait for Minseok to reply and they waste time by going through all the different aisles, reminiscing over their childhoods and getting distracted from the task at hand.

“Hasn't Minseok messaged you back yet?” Jongdae asks once the second cart is full and they start to get bored.

Chanyeol checks his phone, “oh yeah, like half an hour ago.”

“Park Chanyeol, I swear to god-.”

“I didn't feel my phone vibrate.” He says by a way of an apology only to get a slap around the back of the head.

“So?” Jongdae asks as they make their way back to the aisle with all the car seats. “How old are they?”

Chanyeol reads Minseok's message to him in a flat voice, “they're eleven months old but they're small for their age. No one ever thinks they’re that old. Why?”

He sends back a quick _Jongdae says you're meant to ask these things about babies. How was work? Have you told Jihoon? What did he say?_ while Jongdae rolls his eyes at him.

They spend twenty minutes deliberating over car seats before enlisting the help of a store employee who recommends a couple based on Chanyeol's car and the information Minseok has given them. Chanyeol goes for the more expensive of those recommended, guessing that the more money they are the better they'll be, and then nearly has a heart attack when the cashier rings up their total.

“A million won.” Chanyeol laments once they're in the parking lot, their purchases carefully bagged and piled back into their carts.

“Thank god for the bank of mom and dad.” Jongdae teases.

“Please.” Chanyeol replies. “My allowance won't cover this.”

“Your inheritance?”

“It’s a pain in the ass to withdraw money from that account.”

“Your savings then?”

“It's going to have to be. I can't ask my mom to pay off my credit card bill again, not after how much she bitched last month.” Chanyeol huffs out an overdramatic sigh.

“You're such an asshole.” Jongdae says and punches him on the arm. “You have no concept of the real world, do you?”

“I'm learning.” Chanyeol tells him and the smile slips from his face, suddenly serious, even if he knows Jongdae is only joking. “Working at the centre has really opened my eyes.”

And it's true.

He'd been so blissfully ignorant before, hadn’t really thought about what not having money meant, had never had to choose between eating or paying his bills, never had to go without something he really needed, and he knows now how lucky he truly is.

“You must think we’re such spoilt brats.” He says. “Baekhyun, Jongin, Joonmyun and me. All these years you’ve seen us spend money as if it’s nothing and listened to us complain whenever our parents wouldn’t let us have something we wanted. I don’t know how you’ve managed to stay friends with us all these years. We’re such _dicks_.”

“You are.” Jongdae agrees with a shrug. “But you’re good people- even Baekhyun, really deep down.”

“Really, really deep down.” Chanyeol mutters.

“And yeah, it can be really frustrating listening to you guys talk about money because you don’t really get it sometimes. Like last year when Joonmyun was trying to organise that trip to Jejudo and none of you really got why I couldn’t go.” Jongdae kicks at a pebble and watches as it rolls out of sight. They’ve reached Chanyeol’s car now but he doesn’t move to unlock it. “I can’t just ask my mom and dad for money like you can because they don’t always have it. We’re not poor, not by a long shot, but it’s hard to keep up with you guys, sometimes, you know? But you’re not mean about it. I just don’t think you get it a lot of the time. And it’s okay most of the time because you’re generous with your money, too, and I know none of you would let me go without if I really needed something. But there’s more to it than that. Money isn’t everything. You’re my friends and you have been since we were little kids. Sure, you piss me off but you make me laugh, too. You don’t mind that I’m a beta or complain when I copy your notes from class. You don’t even kick up that much of a fuss when I try to drag you into stuff like helping out at the centre. I mean, I wouldn’t have stuck around this long if I didn’t think there was something worth sticking around for, you know? Does any of that make sense?”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol nods, “yeah, it does.”

And it does. Mostly. He’s still not one hundred percent sure why Jongdae is friends with any of them but he’s glad he is.

They spend far too long fitting the car seats to the back seat and making sure that they’re secure before emptying the carts into the trunk and piling whatever won’t fit into the back. They go for burgers afterwards and eat them in the car even if Chanyeol knows the smell will linger for days.

“We should see if the others are free at the weekend.” Jongdae says between bites. “And organise an opening for the garden.”  

“That’s a good idea.” Chanyeol agrees and he smears grease all over the screen of his phone as he asks the question in their group chat. He gets three responses within seconds. “Baekhyun says he’ll only help if we repay him in sexual favours. Joonmyun’s chewing him out for it now and Jongin’s sent four selfies of him with his dogs. I’m going to take that as a yes.”

Jongdae snorts and nearly chokes on his burger.

Chanyeol drops Jongdae at home once they’re finished eating and they agree to meet at the community centre the next morning. Chanyeol knows he should go home, too, but he feels restless and not quite ready return to his quiet apartment just yet.

He drives to the showroom that Minseok will be working at from Monday and feels something within him settle knowing that Minseok will be safe here, away from Jihoon. He hopes he’ll be happy, too. He knows it’s not the best job and probably not what Minseok wants to spend the rest of his life doing but he thinks it’ll be good enough for now.

He checks the time on his phone and feels a sudden urge to call Minseok that he doesn’t resist.

The omega answers on the fifth ring, “hello?”

“It’s Chanyeol.” Chanyeol says. “I’m not calling too late, am I?”

“No, you’re fine. I’ve just put some clothes in to soak and I’ll need to hang them up before I can go to sleep.” Minseok responds and he sounds even more exhausted than he did the day before.

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asks and he feels guilty when he thinks about his day and how much fun he’s had with Jongdae over the last couple of hours.

“Yeah.” Minseok says but Chanyeol’s not convinced. “It’s just been a long day. Sehun fussed all the way home and I don’t doubt he’s going to keep me and Kyungsoo up half the night.”

“Is he sick?”

“He’s got his first tooth coming through and it’s making him irritable.” Minseok pauses and Chanyeol hears him muffle a cough. He sounds breathless when he says, “god help me when Kyungsoo starts to teeth. Two grumpy babies will not be fun.”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol agrees. “Sounds pretty rough.”

“I’m sorry.” Minseok says. “You didn’t call me to talk about the boys. What’s up?”

“Nothing.” Chanyeol replies, honestly. “I just wanted to know you’re okay.”

‘I wanted to hear your voice.’ He wants to add but he doesn’t.

“I’m fine, Chanyeol. You shouldn’t worry about me.”

“Why not?” Chanyeol asks.

“You’re already doing so much for me, I don’t want to add anything else to the list.” Minseok all but whispers. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

“You could never be a burden.” Chanyeol tells him. “And I’m not keeping a list. I’m not doing any of this stuff for you to owe me so don’t worry about that, okay? I’m doing this because I want to.”

“Okay.”

“You don’t believe me.” Chanyeol says and he knows it’s true.

“I’m sorry.” Minseok says and he coughs again, louder this time.

“Don’t be.” Chanyeol says and he finds it easier to say these things without Minseok looking at him with untrusting eyes. “I know I’ve hurt you and I know it’s going to take more than a few words for you to forgive me. But please believe me when I tell you I’m doing everything I can to make it up to you.”

“You don’t need my forgiveness.” Minseok tells him. “I know what I am and I know how the world looks at me. I know what to expect.”

“Minseok-.”

 Minseok continues, “I know what to expect and that I don’t deserve anything more than I have now. But you…”

“What?” Chanyeol prompts when Minseok doesn’t continue straight away.

“You’ve messed everything up.” Minseok says and Chanyeol’s heart is pounding. “I thought I knew my lot in life and I was fine with that, you know? As long as I could give my sons the best life I could then I was okay with that, never mind what happened to me. As long as they were happy. And I thought I was doing so good, keeping a roof over our heads and making sure they had enough to eat, but you’ve ruined that.”

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asks and he’s almost afraid of the answer.

“You’ve made me hope.” Minseok tells him. “And you’ve made me want more than I know I deserve.”

“Minseok-.”

“I like you, Chanyeol. I like you a lot but I’ve screwed everything up. Jihoon, he knows that I lo-.” But then Minseok stops and Chanyeol hears one of the babies crying in the background.

“Minseok?” Chanyeol doesn’t care if he sounds desperate, he needs Minseok to finish. He needs to know what Minseok was going to say.

“I need to go.” Minseok tells him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.” Chanyeol says.

“Don’t come to the restaurant. Promise me you won’t.”

“I won’t.” Chanyeol promises.

Minseok whispers a hurried goodbye and hangs up before Chanyeol can say anything.

Chanyeol’s mind spins and it takes him a few minutes to calm his breathing and for his heart to resume its normal pace. But he’s smiling because Minseok likes him and there’s hope- _there’s hope!_

He sends Jongdae a message telling him this and within a minute gets a response back saying _of course he likes you, you idiot. You’d have to be blind to not see it._

And Chanyeol thinks that maybe he has been blind. Maybe Minseok is hurting as badly as he is because he had loved Chanyeol all along and Chanyeol had ruined it all by pushing him away, making him feel like he wasn’t worth Chanyeol’s love.

The smile slides from his face.

Why had he said those things? Why had he lashed out? Yes, he’d been hurt and he had felt betrayed but that was a poor excuse for acting the way he had. He knows that now, has seen the damage it has done. He is angry at himself for reacting the way that society had taught him to instead of stopping to think about _why_ it had hurt.

Because it still stings and throbs and Chanyeol knows he might not ever be fully okay with it, at the very least not for a long time to come. And he doesn’t know if it hurts so much because Minseok had done what he had outside of being bonded or because he had done it with someone else.

Chanyeol can be a jealous person, he knows he can be, and the thought of someone else being so intimate with Minseok, of the omega opening himself up to them like that, is enough to send a surge of resentment through him.

He wants to be the one to have gotten there first. He wants to have been the first to smother Minseok with his scent, to claim him and make his stomach swell.

But he wants, too, to have been the first person to make Minseok’s heart flutter and his cheeks turn pink. He wants to have been the first one to hold Minseok while he slept and the first to kiss Minseok into wakefulness.

It makes the alpha in his quiver with rage knowing that, for all he feels and for all he wants, he still doesn’t have any claim on Minseok. Not really, not even if Minseok likes him. Jihoon’s scent is on him and Chanyeol knows what this means, knows he should be keeping his distance from Minseok, but he can’t help himself. He loves Minseok. He loves him with every fibre of his being and he is prepared to fight for him.

He is.

He _is_.

But Minseok still had children out of bond and Chanyeol doesn’t know if he will ever be able to get over that. He’s always treasured the idea of a bond, even if he’s not been ready for one just yet, and knows that meeting _that_ person is going to change his life completely. He holds bonds just as highly as everyone else and he doesn’t understand why anyone would want to defile such a pure and good thing like Minseok had.

Even without the twins, being unbonded at Minseok’s age is enough for society to look down on him. Omegas are meant to claimed and for Minseok to have been walking around as he had been doing when Chanyeol had met him, wearing no one’s scent but his own, it should have made Chanyeol leer and wonder about his chances for a quick fuck.

He shouldn’t have fallen in love because god only knows how many people Minseok has been with.

He shouldn’t have fallen in love because he’s still young and he still has plenty of time to find someone.

He shouldn’t have fallen in love but he has and he’s scared.

He’s scared about what his friends and family are going to say when they find out. He wonders if he’s going to lose them and if being with Minseok is going to be enough to replace all those who will no longer want to know him once the truth comes out.

It’s a big risk and Chanyeol is scared to take it but he knows he has to.

He loves Minseok, wants to make him his world, and he knows he can’t let him go.

He parks his car in the garage under his apartment building instead of being lazy and leaving it in the parking lot like he usually does. He doesn’t want to risk anyone breaking into his car to get any of the newly bought toys he has stored in there.

He sleeps poorly that night, spends hours tossing and turning and caught in nightmares that leave him sweating and gasping for breath, doubts and what-ifs running through his brain, and when morning finally comes he feels like he’s not slept at all.

He beats Jongdae to the centre by half an hour and spends the time waiting playing an annoyingly addictive game on his phone, one that Jongin had gotten him hooked on a couple of weeks back and he can’t stop himself from playing whenever he has a few free minutes. He’s just about to beat his high score when there’s a knock on the window making him jump and drop his phone.

“Fuck you, Jongdae.” He mouths as Jongdae cackles on the other side of the glass.

They spend the better part of the morning moving everything that is due to go into the shed into the garden. They remove everything from its packaging before putting it away and Chanyeol forgets the previous evening’s melancholy thoughts as excitement thrums through him. There will be so much for the kids to play with and enjoy once the garden is open and he can’t wait to see the happiness on his faces. Even the bags of trash that they’ll need to take to the dump now that the skip has been taken away doesn’t ruin his mood.

There’s also a whole host of new toys that they bought for the crèche and they deliver these after lunch much to the delight of the children and the staff. They put up the new playhouse with children clinging to their legs and get dragged into games with rules that change every couple of minutes.

Chanyeol, though, only has eyes for the playpen where he sees Kyungsoo and Sehun and as soon as he gets a minute he makes his way over to them because, as many questions and doubts that their existence have created, he is still incredibly fond of them.

They’re not his but they are Minseok’s and he tells himself that that should be enough.

Neither of them seem to recognise him but they crawl over to the edge of the playpen and pull themselves up with the railings anyway. Kyungsoo smiles around his pacifier but Sehun’s face crumples and he begins to cry.

“Oh, Sehun.” Chanyeol murmurs and finds himself lifting the baby out of the playpen and cuddling him against his chest. “What’s wrong?”

Sehun balls his fist into the fabric of Chanyeol’s t-shirt and burrows his head into the warmth of Chanyeol’s neck and there’s not much for Chanyeol to do but rub his back and wait for him to stop crying.  

Kyungsoo makes his displeasure at being ignored known by stamping his feet, even if it upsets his balance and he nearly topples himself over, and threatening to cry. Thankfully Jongdae appears just before the tears begin to fall and he holds him with more ease than Chanyeol thinks he’ll ever manage.

“Is this them?” He asks as Kyungsoo grabs his face. “They’re so tiny! I remember when my niece was this age, she must have been twice their size.”

“Minseok said they were small.” Chanyeol says and he can feel drool soaking through his t-shirt.

One of the care staff joins them then and she gives Chanyeol a look he struggles to read, “I knew I recognised you.” She says. “When you came with their dad to pick them up on Monday. You’ve been working in the garden.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol nods. “It’s turned out really well, there should only be another couple of days until we’re finished.”

There’s a bit of an awkward pause as she eyes him holding Sehun and Chanyeol worries that he’s doing something wrong. 

“You know he has other men on the go, don’t you?” She asks suddenly. “He has them collect the twins for him on Fridays and Saturdays. There’s three of them he seems to favour. I should have known when I first saw you that he’d find a way to pull you in, too. You’re definitely his type.”

“What- why are you telling me this?” Chanyeol asks and he feels sick.

“He shouldn’t be using you like this, not after all you’ve done for the centre.” She answers. “I would have warned you earlier if I had known what was going on.”

“You must be getting Minseok mixed up with someone else.” Jongdae says, throwing Chanyeol a nervous look.

“I’ve seen it with my own eyes.” The beta says with a quick shake of her head. “I’m telling you, that omega is trouble. You should keep away from him.”

“I… Can you take Sehun? I need some air.”

She takes the now dozing baby from him and Chanyeol nearly knocks a little girl over in his haste to get out of the room. He doesn’t think he breathes properly until he’s outside in the parking lot, leaning against his car.

Jongdae is hot on his heels, Kyungsoo still held firmly in his grasp, “Chanyeol-!”

“Don’t.” Chanyeol cuts him off.

“You can’t jump to any conclusions.” Jongdae tries, bouncing Kyungsoo up and down on his hip to keep him from crying. “Not until you’ve spoken to Minseok.”

“But what if-?”

“Talk to him.” Jongdae’s voice is firm.

“Fucking hell.” Chanyeol spits out. “I thought- I finally thought things were going to be okay. He told me he likes me but then there’s other men? Men that aren’t Jihoon? I should have known. It’s all been a lie, hasn’t it? He’s just using me?”

“Jesus Christ, Chanyeol. Are you done?” Jongdae snaps at him.

“I-.”

“No, actually, shut up and listen for one minute, okay? Do you really trust Minseok that little that you’re willing to take the word of a stranger over his? Even though Minseok told you he likes you? Even though he trusts you enough put his life and the life of his children in your hands?” Jongdae asks and Chanyeol starts to feel bad. “Do you really have that little faith in him? After all the times you’ve said you love him, you’re willing to just throw it all away on the say-so of some woman you don’t even know?”

“He lied to me about the twins.” Chanyeol tries to argue.

“Fuck off, Chanyeol. Really, fuck you. Think about how you reacted, think about how anyone reacts when they find that out. Would you really feel comfortable offering up that kind of information?”

“No.” Chanyeol concedes.

“He was protecting his children.”

“I know.”

Jongdae sighs and neither of them says anything for a couple of minutes.

“You said he works late on Fridays and Saturdays, didn’t you?” Jongdae asks.

Chanyeol nods, “that’s why we couldn’t go on that date.”

“Then he probably has friends pick the boys up. That’s all.”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol voice cracks so he repeats himself and tries to make himself sound more certain. “Yeah.”

Chanyeol goes straight to the garden instead of re-entering the crèche with Jongdae, not ready to hear anything more about Minseok and the three other mystery men, and the rest of the afternoon drags by.

Jongdae leaves just after four to go tidy his apartment and get food in. Chanyeol kills time by sweeping the path free of dirt and then moves the bags of trash to his car. When there’s nothing else left to do he sits on the swing and scrolls through his phone.

It isn’t long before he’s joined by someone else.

“You’re early.” Chanyeol says, his eyes widening in surprise.

Minseok smiles and takes the swing next to Chanyeol’s, “I told Jihoon I wasn’t feeling well.”

“And he let you go?”

Minseok ducks his head, “he may have wanted something in exchange.”

“Oh.” Chanyeol feels his skin crawl.

“There’s only a couple more days to go.” Minseok mumbles. “That’s all. Then I never have to see him again.”

“Have you- did you have sex?” Chanyeol asks and he doesn’t know why he’s torturing himself like this. It’s none of his business what Minseok does with Jihoon, not yet, not really, even if the idea makes his stomach turn and his instincts cry out to mark Minseok, claim him before Jihoon can.

“No!” Minseok says and he looks at Chanyeol with wide eyes. “God, no. I won’t let him. He wants to but I’ve said no. He- he likes my mouth.”

“Oh.” Chanyeol says again and he doesn’t think that’s much better.

“It’s just a couple more days.” Minseok offers him a weak smile.

“Just a couple more days.” Chanyeol repeats.

Minseok offers him his hand and Chanyeol takes it in his own much larger one. He laces their fingers together and the smile Minseok gives him is brighter, more firm.

They sit together in silence for a little while, just swinging back and forth, and Chanyeol works up the courage to ask about the conversation he’d had with the care worker that afternoon.

“I was in the crèche earlier.” Chanyeol says at last and he’s reluctant, scared of what he’s going to find out.

“Did you go to see Kyungsoo and Sehun?” Minseok asks.

“Me and Jongdae were dropping off some new toys so we went over to say hello to the boys while we were there.” Chanyeol explains. “Sehun took one look at my face and started to cry.”

Minseok snorts softly, “can you blame him?”

“Not really. We had a bit of a cuddle and Jongdae ended up getting his face pummelled by Kyungsoo.” He pauses for a moment. “But then one of the staff came over to talk to us. She told us about the men you have coming to pick the boys on Fridays and Saturdays.”

“Did she tell you I was seeing them?” Minseok asks with a roll of his eyes.

“What? How did you know?”

“It was Yunseo, right? The beta with shoulder length hair and bangs? The one working when we collected the twins on Monday?”

Chanyeol nods and his stomach twists, “yeah, that’s her.”

“She’s always been one of the worst out of all the crèche workers. None of them approve of me, that I’m unbonded and I’ve got children, but she’s always been more obvious about it than the others.” Minseok shakes his head.

“So she was making it up?” Chanyeol asks and the tension in his gut eases just a fraction.

“Not entirely. I’ve told you I work late on Fridays and Saturdays, haven’t I?” Minseok waits for Chanyeol to nod before continuing. “I have a couple of friends who babysit for me those nights. Yifan’s the one who does it most weeks. His mother used to live down the hall from me, she helped me a lot with twins when they were really little. After she died Yifan offered to keep on helping out, he said he knew how hard it was for people like me because his mom had been unbonded when she’d had him. He’s been really good to me.”

“Oh.”

“Zitao, too. He’s Yifan’s bondmate. He’s really sweet, he adores the boys.” Minseok continues and Chanyeol brightens a little. “He’s waiting for them to call him Uncle Zitao but they’re a long way from that. They’ve not even said their first words yet.”

“What about the other guy?” Chanyeol asks, not yet fully comforted even if he is feeling a bit better about the situation.

“Luhan.” Minseok says with a small smile. “He’s Yixing’s roommate. He’s really good with the boys. He’s convinced that they’re going to be soccer superstars.”

“It’s not a bad ambition to have.” Chanyeol shrugs but he wants to know more.

“He bought them Manchester United pyjamas.” Minseok sounds outraged. “I’m just hoping he’ll have forgotten about them by the time the boys are big enough to wear them.”

Chanyeol forces himself to laugh.

“I’m being deadly serious.” Minseok tells him and then his smile slips from his face. “You don’t have anything to worry about. Not with Luhan or with any of them. They’re my friends but that’s all there is to it, okay?”

“Okay.” Chanyeol says.

“You don’t trust me, do you?” Minseok asks and he looks hurt.

Chanyeol feels guilty, “no, I do. I do- it’s just…”

“I’m unbonded so I must be a whore?” Minseok pulls his hand away.

“No, that’s not it.” Chanyeol tells him.

“Then what is it?” Minseok’s voice catches in his throat. “They’re my _friends_ , Chanyeol. They’re the only friends I’ve had since I got pregnant with the boys. I’m not-.”

“I know.” Chanyeol cuts in. “I know, I’m sorry. I trust you, I do, I promise. I shouldn’t have even asked. I just- knowing you’re Jihoon’s, it kills me. I don’t want you to belong to anyone else, I don’t even want to think about it. I just want you to be mine.”

“I don’t belong to Jihoon.” Minseok tells him. “Or to anyone. I’m not an object even if I’m just an omega.”

“You’re not _just_ anything.” Chanyeol says quickly and he retakes Minseok’s hand in his own. His heart is racing and he knows he’s on the verge of destroying it all. He needs to make this right. “You’re everything, okay? I know I’m being a dick, I know I am, but I’m trying, okay? I’m trying, I’m just scared. I want to be with you because I love you but it’s not as easy as that. The world’s a really shitty place and I’m still learning that. But I love you, okay? I love you so much and I want us to be together. I know that nothing’s perfect but we could be happy and I want that. I want you. The thought of losing you terrifies me more than anything else.”

Chanyeol’s words hang in the air between them and tears build in his eyes. He can’t make himself look at Minseok because he knows he’s messed up. He doesn’t want to see anymore hurt on Minseok’s face.

But the omega just sighs and squeezes Chanyeol’s hand, “you’re not going to lose me.”

“Even if I act like a piece of shit?” Chanyeol asks with a sniff.

“I’d prefer for you to be less of a shit sometimes but it’s okay. I get it. This whole situation- it’s messed up and that’s my fault. I know you’re trying.” He gives Chanyeol a small smile. “I’m trying, too.”

“We’re going to be okay, aren’t we?”

Minseok nods but he doesn’t say anything.

There’s silence between them then for a few minutes as they let the air between them settle. There’s still a lot of hurt and Chanyeol doesn’t doubt that there will be for a long time but he knows, too, that they’ll get to where they want to be in the end. This thing between them, it burns too hotly and fiercely for it to truly go out. 

“Are you ready to go?” Chanyeol asks at last. “Jongdae won’t mind us being early.”

“Okay.” Minseok says and he lets Chanyeol pull him to his feet by their laced fingers.

Chanyeol collects the stroller from the cloakroom as he did on Monday while Minseok gets the twins. Even from the other side of the crèche, Chanyeol can hear their delight when they see Minseok.

The boys babble all the way to the car and Minseok nods and hums and asks ‘and then what?’ in all the appropriate places and Chanyeol can’t keep the grin from his face, the twins’ happiness soothing his own frayed nerves.

“What?” Minseok asks when he catches Chanyeol’s eye.

“Nothing.” Chanyeol says. They reach the car and Chanyeol unlocks it with the press of a button. “Let me put the stroller in the trunk and then I’ll get the door for you.”

“Okay.” Minseok says as he peppers kisses on first Sehun and then Kyungsoo’s faces, making the twins giggle. He looks at Chanyeol in confusion, however, when Chanyeol opens the rear passenger door instead of the front. “What- what are these?”

Chanyeol feels himself blush as he shrugs, “I thought that I’d probably need car seats for the boys if I was going to be driving you guys around more. You know, for safety reasons.”

Minseok looks at him and Chanyeol has no idea what he’s thinking.

“Are they okay?”

“You should have asked first.” Minseok tells him, his voice laced with something Chanyeol doesn’t recognise. “These look really expensive and Yifan already has seats for the boys in his car. We could have just used them... I’m not going to be able to afford to pay you back for these.”

“I don’t want you to pay me back.” Chanyeol says and he feels disappointed. He’d thought Minseok would have been happy. Out of all the things he knows he could upset Minseok with, he didn’t think it would be this. “I just wanted to do something nice for you.”

“You shouldn’t have spent so much money.” Minseok shifts on his feet and Chanyeol realises he looks uneasy.

“I didn’t.” Chanyeol insists. “They were only two hundred thousand each.”

Minseok blanches, “that’s more than I earn in a week.”

“You only get four hundred thousand a week?”

Minseok corrects him, “two hundred thousand.”

Chanyeol’s jaw actually drops, “what the hell? You work like a million hours.”

“It’s all cash in hand.” Minseok tells him as he dodges Sehun’s fist. “So Jihoon pays what he wants.”

“But that’s illegal. It’s got to be. There’s no way he should be getting away with paying you so little.”

“It’s better than nothing.” Minseok shrugs and his expression is still carefully blank. “And it would have been nothing if I hadn’t taken the job with Jihoon. Nobody wants to hire an unbonded omega, especially not a pregnant one.”

“That’s so _unfair._ ” Chanyeol says and his mind reels.

“Sometimes life is unfair.” Minseok tells him and there’s no bitterness in his voice.

There’s nothing Chanyeol can say to counter that so instead he takes Kyungsoo from Minseok and straps him into the car seat behind the driver’s seat while Minseok settles Sehun into the one at the passenger’s side. He thinks he should feel offended that Minseok checks that he’s buckled Kyungsoo in right once he’s finished but he’s still in too much shock.

“You really shouldn’t have spent so much money.” Minseok says as they get into the car. “But thank you for thinking of the boys. That was really nice of you.”

“I’m glad they’re okay.”

“They’re great. Thank you.” Minseok says and he reaches over and gives Chanyeol’s hand a quick squeeze.

“How long have you worked at the restaurant?” Chanyeol brings up a new subject once they’ve been driving for a couple of minutes.

“About a year and a half.” Minseok coughs and then offers Chanyeol a small smile. “God knows how I made it through those first few weeks, though. I’d never worked in a restaurant before and the smell of the food made me feel so sick. I think I spent more time hunched over the toilet than I did serving customers.”

“And Jihoon was okay with that?”

“Not really but he let me get away with it. He’s always liked having something to hold over my head.” The smile falls from Minseok’s face. “Still, he gave me a chance when no one else did. I don’t know what I’d have done if I hadn’t have gotten that job.”

“You’d have found something.” Chanyeol tells him.

“Maybe.” Minseok says but it’s obvious he doesn’t think there’s any truth to Chanyeol’s statement.

They listen to music for the rest of the journey and Minseok spends more time cooing at the twins and trying to keep them from crying than he does looking at Chanyeol.

They arrive at Jongdae’s apartment a whole two hours ahead of schedule and Jongdae glares at Chanyeol when he opens the door to let them in, “you could have let me know you were going to be early.”

“But where’s the fun in that?” Chanyeol teases, hoping to ease any tension.

“It’s my fault.” Minseok tells him with an uncertain smile. “I got off work a couple of hours earlier than expected.”

“It’s fine.” Jongdae assures him as he steps back to let them in. “Come on in.”

Out of all their apartments, Jongdae’s is Chanyeol’s favourite. It’s the smallest and everything in it is second hand but it feels the most like a home. He doesn’t have a cleaner like Joonmyun or live with his neat freak mother like Jongin so there’s always a comfortable amount of clutter. That combined with the yellow walls and the rich colours of his furnishings, Jongdae’s apartment never fails to put Chanyeol at ease. He’s as comfortable here as he is in his own apartment.

He slips his shoes off by the door and makes a beeline for the fridge, “do you want something to drink, Minseok?”

“Water, please.” Minseok replies.

“Do you want me to take the boys so you can take your shoes off?” Jongdae asks and Chanyeol is annoyed at himself for not thinking to ask.

The twins are both squirming in Minseok’s arms, faces crumpled into frowns and eyes wet, and Chanyeol knows enough about them to know that they’re seconds away from tears.

“Can you take Kyungsoo please?” Minseok nods at the smaller of the two and Jongdae gently takes him only for Kyungsoo to burst into tears.

“What’s wrong, little guy?” Jongdae asks as he bounces Kyungsoo.

“They’ll be hungry.” Minseok tells him as he stoops to untie his shoe laces and Sehun begins to cry. “They usually get their dinner at the crèche around now.”

“I was going to cook.” Jongdae says with a frown.

“It’s okay.” Minseok says quickly. “I’ll make bottles up for them, I’ve got formula in my bag. That should tide them over until later.”

Jongdae tells Chanyeol to put the kettle on and Chanyeol rushes to do as he’s told. The babies sound utterly miserable and he feels helpless.

“What else can I do?” He asks once the kettle is boiling.

They’re all stood around the kitchen island and neither twin is showing any signs of calming. Minseok doesn’t look worried, though, and neither does Jongdae so Chanyeol thinks that he’s overreacting.

“You can take Sehun.” Minseok tells him. “While I do their bottles.”

Sehun kicks his feet and flails his fists and Chanyeol is sure he’s going to drop him with how much he’s wriggling.

“You’re doing okay.” Jongdae says, seeing the worry on his face. “You’re not going to hurt him if you hold him a bit tighter.”

“Just don’t drop him.” Minseok says and Chanyeol thinks he’s joking.

The kettle clicks off and Minseok adds the boiling water to the powdered formula he’s already scooped into the babies’ bottles. Chanyeol half watches as Minseok shakes the bottles and then runs them under the tap to cool them but his attention is mostly focused on Sehun and his attempts to escape.

“How do you do this all the time?” Chanyeol adjusts his grip on Sehun and receives an errant fist to the eye in response. “Ow!”

“Like that hurt, he’s just a little baby.” Jongdae says with a roll of his eyes.

“He got me in the eye!” Chanyeol protests.

  “You’re such a wimp.” Jongdae tuts.

Minseok frowns, “are you okay? Did he really hurt you?”

“Ignore him.” Jongdae says and Chanyeol feels suddenly stupid because Minseok’s eye is still bruised and swollen. “He’s such a drama queen.”

“Sehun does pack a punch.” Minseok says with a small smile. He tests the temperature of the milk on the inside of his wrist before saying, “the bottles are ready.”

“I’ll feed Kyungsoo.” Jongdae offers.

“No, it’s okay. I can do both, I just need-.”

“It’s fine, really.” Jongdae tells him and takes one of the bottles from Minseok. “I’ve done it for my niece a tonne of times. I’m practically a pro.”

“I’m really not.” Chanyeol says and Sehun begins to scream. “So maybe you better-.”

“I know you’re hungry.” Minseok says to Sehun as he takes him from Chanyeol. “I know you are and Daddy is so sorry for making you wait.”

Kyungsoo is drinking from the bottle Jongdae is holding to his lips, the tears on his cheeks already drying, and he holds onto the sleeve of Jongdae’s sweatshirt with tiny fists. Minseok cradles Sehun and holds the bottle to his mouth but he bats it away, tossing his head back and letting out a shriek.

“Sehun, come on now.  Stop being silly, I know you’re hungry.” Minseok says, rocking Sehun in an attempt to soothe him.

It takes another minute or more for Sehun to settle enough to latch onto the bottle but when he does he drinks from it greedily.

“Is it usually this difficult?” Chanyeol asks.

“This has actually been relatively painless.” Minseok gives a small shrug, careful not to jostle Sehun. “But it’s always easier when there’s someone else helping.”

“I’ve babysat my niece a whole bunch of times and I think I only managed then because I knew it was only a couple of hours and then I could give her back.” Jongdae says.

“You’re doing a really good job with Kyungsoo.” Minseok tells him and Chanyeol tries not to feel jealous at the praise.

“I think he’s taking it easy on me.” Jongdae gives the baby a fond look. “I’m sure he’ll turn into a little monkey once his belly’s full.”

Once the babies are done with their bottles they move into the living area and Chanyeol sits on the floor with the boys while Jongdae and Minseok disappear into the bedroom to look through Jongdae’s closet for clothes for Minseok to borrow.

Chanyeol is worried at first about how he’s going to be able to keep the boys occupied and out of trouble while Minseok and Jongdae are out of the room but he soon relaxes as the twins set out to explore the area around where Chanyeol is sat.

Kyungsoo crawls over to the small stack of DVDs Jongdae keeps by his television and makes short work of knocking them down, letting out a small giggle around his pacifier, before picking up the nearest one and turning to Chanyeol with it.

“Ta.” He seems to say.

Chanyeol reaches over to take it, “thank you.”

Kyungsoo laughs and picks up another and Chanyeol takes it once again. They repeat the process over and over and every time Chanyeol takes one of the DVDs he gets a laugh from Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol thinks it should be boring but it isn’t because Kyungsoo is obviously enjoying himself so he keeps on going, making sure to pull faces and reach over to tickle Kyungsoo every now and then.

He keeps an eye on Sehun, too, while playing with Kyungsoo.

Sehun has pulled himself upright using the sofa and is taking small shuffled steps down the length of the seat while holding on for dear life. Chanyeol leans over and tickles him whenever Sehun begins to look too serious and it keeps him from spilling anymore tears.

Eventually Sehun gets bored with the sofa and Kyungsoo with the DVDs and they crawl back over to Chanyeol. Kyungsoo climbs into his lap and balls his fists into the front of Chanyeol’s t-shirt while Sehun pulls himself upright using Chanyeol’s arm as leverage.

“Hello.” Chanyeol smiles as Sehun leans close to his face.

The pacifier drops from Sehun’s mouth as he shouts, “mwah!”

“Mwah?” Chanyeol repeats.     

“Mwah.” Sehun says again and he presses a slobbery, open-mouthed kiss on Chanyeol’s cheek.

Chanyeol fights back the urge to cringe away and wipe at his cheek and instead puts a steadying hand on Sehun’s back, “am I special enough to get kisses?”

Kyungsoo makes a small noise of protest and he pulls himself to his feet using the front of Chanyeol’s t-shirt. His stance is much less steady that Sehun’s because he’s balancing on Chanyeol’s lap but he leans into Chanyeol’s chest and nuzzles his tiny nose into the warm skin of his neck. Chanyeol wraps an arm around him and Kyungsoo pulls at his arm hair, seemingly not interested in the kisses Sehun is giving out but wanting Chanyeol’s attention all the same.

Sehun grabs at Chanyeol’s nose and Chanyeol lets him pull his face forward for another kiss.

“Mwah.” Sehun frowns, his brow creasing and his bottom lip beginning to wobble. “Mwah!”

“He wants you to give him a kiss.” Minseok says from the doorway to Jongdae’s bedroom, making Chanyeol jump.

“What? Oh.” Chanyeol blushes and gives Sehun a quick peck on the cheek.

“That’s hardly a kiss.” Minseok teases and Sehun drops down onto his knees and crawls over to him. Minseok scoops him up and plants noisy kisses on both of his cheeks. “Now those are real kisses, aren’t they, Sehunnie?”

“Five shirts and three pairs of pants should be enough for now, shouldn’t they, Chanyeol?” Jongdae asks, appearing behind Minseok. “You can get everything dry cleaned over the weekend.”

“Yeah, sure.” Chanyeol nods and he gives Kyungsoo a quick squeeze when the baby makes a small noise at being jostled. “No problem.”

“Great.” Jongdae grins. “Now is it time for food? I’m starving.”

They end up ordering in because Jongdae doesn’t want to wait for his planned dish to cook and whispers to Minseok, deliberately loud enough for him to overhear, that it’s the perfect opportunity for Chanyeol to ‘treat’ them.

Sure enough, Jongdae orders the most expensive dish on the menu while Minseok spends a couple of minutes looking everything over before settling on something a lot cheaper.

“What do you want to get for the twins?” Chanyeol asks.

“We can share.” Minseok tells him.

“Are you sure?” Jongdae asks.

“Yeah, I’m not that hungry.” Minseok says as his stomach rumbles loudly.

They order something extra for the twins and Jongdae puts one of the many Disney films he owns on for the babies while they wait for their food to arrive.

They crawl to the TV and look back at Minseok with wide eyes, pointing at the television and making excited noises at the bright colours.

“We don’t have a TV at home.” Minseok explains. “And there’s not one at the crèche either. It’s pretty new for them.”

It’s cute to watch until Sehun starts to pull himself up using the TV stand and grabbing at the wires.

“Sehun, no, that’s naughty!” Minseok scolds only to be ignored.

Sehun yanks on one of the wires and the television wobbles. Minseok is at the baby’s side before Chanyeol can even blink. He steadies the television, though in reality there was never any danger of it falling, and pries Sehun’s hands from the wires. He picks him up and Sehun immediately begins to cry.

“I’m sorry.” Minseok says to Jongdae.

He moves into the kitchen area, bouncing Sehun in his arms, and goes to his messenger bag on the island. Chanyeol watches as he digs through it with one hand and pulls out a small plushie. He makes faces and waggles the toy at the baby.

“Don’t worry about it, I doubt he’ll have been able to do any real damage anyway.” Jongdae smiles.

Chanyeol feels something pulling at the leg of his sweats and looks down to see Kyungsoo looking up at him. He makes a nonsensical noise and holds his hands up and Chanyeol knows enough to see that he wants to be picked up. He complies and sets Kyungsoo down on the sofa between Jongdae and himself. They both help him onto his feet and keep him steady as he divides his attention between the two of them, laughing at their silly faces and pulling faces of his own.

Minseok joins them with Sehun once he’s settled but the bigger twin doesn’t move from Minseok’s lap, instead choosing to cuddle the plushie and suck on his pacifier.

They eat sitting on the floor because Jongdae doesn’t have a dining table and Chanyeol is halfway through his meal before he realises that Minseok has hardly touched his because he’s too busy helping the twins to eat.

They’re messy and have food all over their faces and their hands and their bibs and Minseok is careful that they don’t get food on anything of Jongdae’s that might stain.

“Do you want me to do something?” Chanyeol asks. “Your food will be getting cold.”

“No, it’s fine.” Minseok tells him.

Chanyeol gives Jongdae an uncertain look and the older shrugs.

They continue to eat and then when the twins are finished Jongdae and Chanyeol take off their bibs and wipe at their hands and faces with wet wipes while Minseok moves onto the sofa to eat.  

Chanyeol and Jongdae play with the twins on the floor for a while and when Chanyeol next looks at Minseok he finds him slumped to the side, his mouth hanging open and fast asleep.

Jongdae sees what he’s looking at and grabs Minseok’s dinner from his lap. It had been perilously close to spilling.

“He’s been looking exhausted these last couple of weeks.” Jongdae whispers.

“I know.” Chanyeol says. “Hopefully things will get better with the new job.”

“They really need to.” Jongdae frowns and absently brushes some hair from Kyungsoo’s forehead. “God, Chanyeol, he’s so skinny. I caught a glimpse of him when he was swapping between shirts and I- it was horrible. I swear I could count all his ribs. That’s not even saying anything about all the bruises he has.”

Chanyeol’s eyes widen, “there’s more?”

“Yeah.” Jongdae nods.

“Shit.”

“Talk to him.” Jongdae urges. “Tell him not to go back. It’s not worth it.”

“It’s just a couple more days.” Chanyeol repeats Minseok’s earlier words but he feels uneasy.

They let Minseok sleep for another hour before waking him to take him and the babies home.

Jongdae and Minseok carry a twin each down to the car while Chanyeol carries the clothes they’ve picked out and remainder of Minseok’s dinner packed into tupperware and put into a plastic bag.

Chanyeol goes up to Minseok’s apartment with him but only to save Minseok from making two trips. He waits by the front door as he puts the boys down on the playmat and then comes back for everything else.

“Thank you for tonight.” Minseok says. “It’s been really nice.”

“I’ve had fun.” Chanyeol tells him.

“Me too.” Minseok agrees. “I’m sorry for falling asleep.”

“Don’t worry about it, you obviously needed it.”

Minseok smiles at him and their eyes meet.

Love, bright and hot, flares in Chanyeol’s chest and he finds himself leaning forwards so that their lips are only centimetres apart. He brings a hand up to Minseok’s face and brushes him thumb over Minseok’s lips.

“Don’t go back to work.” Chanyeol pleads.   

“I have to.” Minseok tells him. “I need the money.”

“I’ll give you what you need.” Chanyeol says. “Please, just don’t go back.”

“You’ve already spent enough money on me.”

“I’d give you every last penny I had if I knew you needed it.”

Minseok sighs and looks away, “Chanyeol…”

“I’m being serious.” Chanyeol says and he is. “I love you, Minseok.”

Minseok kisses him then, soft and sweet, and Chanyeol melts into his touch.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow after you’ve finished.” Chanyeol says when they break apart.

“It’s Friday tomorrow.” Minseok reminds him.

“Then I’ll take you to Yifan’s to get the twins.” Chanyeol says. “If that’s what you want.”

Minseok smiles, “okay.”

Chanyeol kisses him again and this time it’s hot and it’s heavy and it leaves both of them gasping for air.

“I love you.” Chanyeol says. “More than anything, I love you.”

Minseok’s smile is sad, “goodnight, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol’s heart sinks and he thinks that Minseok doesn’t believe him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who has commented and left kudos- I'm massively grateful. Knowing people are enjoying this story makes it so much easier to write so thank you. I hope you enjoy this chapter, too!
> 
> Lily, you amazing<3

The next day drags by and Chanyeol is disappointed with how quiet Minseok is on the ride to Yifan’s.

“Is everything okay?” Chanyeol asks once they’re outside Yifan’s apartment block. “Was work okay?”

“Work was fine.” Minseok tells him. “I’m just tired.”

“Have you told Jihoon yet?”

Minseok shakes his head and coughs before saying, “I’m going to wait until closing and he’s paid me. I can just leave then and not have to look back.”

“That’s a good idea.” Chanyeol says.

“Yixing knows. He’s going to quit, too. I know he’s only stuck around so long to keep an eye on me, he can definitely do better than that place.”

“And so can you.” Chanyeol reminds him. “Monday will show you that.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Minseok says.

Chanyeol frowns, “are you nervous?”

“About tomorrow?” Minseok shrugs. “Sort of. I’m trying not to think about it too much.”

“It’s okay to be nervous.” Chanyeol tells him. “It’s a big thing.”

Minseok nods and looks out the window, “can- will you..?”

“Do you want me to pick you up when you finish?” Chanyeol asks.

Minseok lets out a long, shaky breath, “yes, please.”

“Okay, that’s no problem.” Chanyeol says, keeping his tone light because he knows how much it takes for Minseok to ask for anything. “I’ll be waiting for you when you come out of the restaurant.”

“Thank you.” Minseok breathes and he shoots Chanyeol a relieved smile.

They kiss then and Chanyeol holds Minseok over the center console for a long moment afterwards even though its awkward and it makes his back ache.

“Thank you.” Minseok says again when they break apart.

“It’s fine.” Chanyeol says. “Are you sure you don’t want me to wait around? I’ll give you a ride back to yours.”

“No, it’s okay.” Minseok tells him. “I’ve not seen Zitao properly for a couple of weeks and I know he’ll want to catch up. There’s no point in you hanging around, Yifan will take us home when we’re ready to go.”

“If you’re sure.” Chanyeol says and Minseok nods. “Message me tomorrow what time you want me to meet you.”

“I will.” Minseok promises as he gets out of the car. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight!” Chanyeol calls after him, not leaving until after Minseok has disappeared into the unfamiliar building.

He messages Minseok before he goes to sleep that night and feels something akin to relief shoot through him when he gets a reply within minutes. He’s worried but he’s not sure why. He thinks that maybe it’s Minseok’s earlier nerves rubbing off on him and he tells himself that everything is going to be okay. Minseok only has one day left at the restaurant and then he can get away from Jihoon and move on with his life.

Hopefully with Chanyeol playing a big part of it.

And he knows that he’d almost messed everything up the day before and he knows that he had been harbouring doubts he knows he shouldn’t. Minseok had told him he liked him and Chanyeol knows he has to trust him. They’re going to be okay, he tells himself, because they have to be.

Because Chanyeol loves him.

He loves him and something deep within him is telling him that Minseok is _the one_. And he knows they’ve not known each other that long, not really, and that they’ve had their hiccups, but Chanyeol knows, too, that that’s how bonds work. The real ones – the ones everyone dreams of having as a little kid and not the bonds forced by families or brought about for convenience – are quick to form despite any obstacles. They spark and flare and burn fiercely.

And Chanyeol feels this with Minseok even if he does have Jihoon’s scent on him.

He feels it and he burns so hot with it that he feels like he could burst into flames at any minute.

He wants Minseok and he needs him, too. He just hopes that Minseok will forgive him for the horrible things he’s said and done and let him thaw the ice around his heart.

He wakes late the next morning and he smiles when he sees he has a message from Minseok asking him to pick him up at eleven that evening. He shoots back a reply and rolls over in bed, determined to get a few more hours of sleep, only for his phone to start to ring.

He answers it without checking to see who it is, “hello?”

“Good morning, sunshine!” Baekhyun screams down the line.

“What the fuck, Baek? I’ve just woken up.”

“Late night last night? Chanyeol, you dog.”

“Fuck you.” Chanyeol says but there’s no real venom to his words.

“No, I’m alright, thanks. Speaking of fucking though, how are you getting on with your omega?” Baekhyun asks.

“You lack even just the smallest amount of tact, don’t you?”

“It’s part of my charm.” Baekhyun deadpans. “Now, spill. I’ve not heard anything since you turned up sobbing on my doorstep last week.”

“I was not sobbing.” Chanyeol argues but then sighs, knowing Baekhyun is going to think and say what he wants despite Chanyeol arguing the opposite. “But, yeah. Things are looking good at the moment. You were right, you know, about me needing to try. Minseok makes me really happy and I was stupid thinking I could have given it all up because he has-.”

He stops himself.

“Because he has what?” Baekhyun prods. “Are you going to share with the rest of the class? Or is it still a taboo subject?”

“You will find out.” Chanyeol tells him. “Just not now. I just- things are delicate at the moment and I really don’t want to mess anything up.”

“But you love him?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” Baekhyun says and then his voice becomes uncharacteristically soft. “You’re our friend, Chanyeol. He makes you happy and that’s all we want, you know? We’ll be able to get over whatever it is that made you so upset because we know you love him. Don’t worry about us. We’ll get Joonmyun to come around, too. You know he’s not good at holding grudges.”

Chanyeol speaks around the lump in his throat, “that’s a lie. We both know that he never spoke to that kid in high school again after he got paint on hyung’s new shoes.”

“They were Givenchy.” Baekhyun says as if that explains everything. “But, seriously, don’t worry, Yeol. We’ll talk to him. It’ll be okay, trust me.”

“If you say so.” Chanyeol concedes but he isn’t fully convinced.

“He’s coming tonight.” Baekhyun tells him.

“Tonight?”

“Yeah, to yours. We’re getting together to talk about a party for the garden opening, aren’t we?”

“Oh, fuck, that’s tonight?” Chanyeol swears again before saying, “I said I’d pick Minseok up from work.”

“You can’t bail.” Baekhyun tells him. “I’ve already bought booze.”

“What happened to being loving and supportive?” Chanyeol asks.

“You forgot the golden rule.” Baekhyun says. “Bros before hoes, man. And I think in your case we should really emphasise the hoe part.”

“You know I’m going to kick your ass when I see you tonight, don’t you?”

“I did know it was a possibility when I made that statement, yes.”

“Okay, good. Just so you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

Baekhyun changes the subject, “so what are you going to do?”

“I just won’t drink.” Chanyeol answers as if it’s going to be that simple.

It isn’t.

“I thought we were organising a party, not throwing one?” Chanyeol asks when Baekhyun and Jongin show up just after seven with three crates of beer.

“Surely the best way to create an experience is by living it first?” Jongin answers Chanyeol’s question with one of his own, earning himself a smack around the back of the head.

“You’re such an asshole.”

“Have you ordered pizza yet? I’m starving.” Baekhyun says before Chanyeol and Jongin can really get into it with one another.

“I wanted to make sure you dicks actually showed up before I ordered food.” Chanyeol tells him.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, “we don’t show up to one social event-.”

“Try three.”

“-And it’s never forgotten. Talk about holding a grudge.”

That sparks a memory of their earlier conversation and Chanyeol punches Baekhyun on the arm, hard.

“Why did you do that?” Jongin asks with wide eyes.

“He knows why.” Chanyeol tells him.

Jongdae arrives then and Joonmyun half an hour after that and Chanyeol is already most of the way through his first beer.

“Don’t let me have any more than two.” Chanyeol tells Jongdae when the others are distracted. “I’m picking Minseok up from work later.”

“Then you shouldn’t be drinking at all, asshole.”

“A couple of beers are not going to hurt.” Chanyeol argues but he knows Jongdae is right.

But it’s so easy to get distracted when they’re sitting around eating pizza and making fun of each other and Chanyeol is just so used to reaching for another beer. He’s opening a third without realising what he’s doing and it’s only Jongdae’s look of disappointment that stops him from downing half of it without thought. He passes it to Jongin instead and the younger accepts it without batting an eye. He goes into the kitchen and gets a can of coke instead and Baekhyun makes a face at him but Chanyeol just gives him the finger in response.

They actually settle down to start planning the opening once they’re finished with food. They decide to do it the following Saturday, even if Jongin moans about having to rearrange a date he has, and Joonmyun uses Chanyeol’s laptop to put together a flyer for it. Jongdae has a pad of paper and a pen and is trying to make a list of everything they’ll need while Jongin and Baekhyun make unhelpful – and often quite crude – suggestions that make them all snigger like grade school kids. Only Chanyeol, who is definitely the most sober of them all, wracks his brain for the things they’ll genuinely need.

He keeps an eye on his watch and is surprised at how quickly ten o’clock rolls around.

“Where are you going?” Jongin asks when Chanyeol pulls himself up from the sofa and stretches.

“I’m picking Minseok up from work.” Chanyeol shrugs.

Baekhyun gives him a smirk, “that omega has got you whipped.”

“I offered.” Chanyeol tells him, feeling himself blush.

“He’s definitely whipped.” Jongin agrees.

“Like you’re much better.” Jongdae says with a grin that makes Chanyeol feel nervous even though it isn’t directed at him. “What were you messaging me about the other night? Where do you find the-?”

“Okay, okay.” Jongin is bright red. “You don’t need to tell everyone.”

“Do I really want to know?” Joonmyun asks.

“I do.” Baekhyun declares.

“Let’s just say diagrams were required.” Jongdae tells them and Baekhyun begins to cackle.

“And this is where I take my leave.” Chanyeol says with a roll of his eyes as he heads towards the door. Over his shoulder he calls, “don’t trash the place while I’m gone!”

“No promises!” Baekhyun shouts back as Chanyeol slams the door shut behind himself.

There’s a slight buzz in his veins from the two beers he’s had but he still feels in control enough to drive. He feels stupid for drinking in the first place, though. He knows he should have put up more of a fight instead of letting Baekhyun and Jongin talk him into that first beer. Still, what’s done is done and all he can do now is look forward to seeing Minseok.

The drive to the restaurant doesn’t take as long as he expects but that’s because he’s not factored in the lack of traffic at this time of the night. He gets there twenty minutes early and parks up on the opposite side of the road to the restaurant’s entrance in a spot that should be easy enough for Minseok to see.

He checks his phone and he groans when he sees there’s over fifty messages in their group chat. He’s expecting teasing and perhaps a couple of the diagrams Jongdae had mentioned before he had left but instead finds photos of what is, quite clearly, a party going on in his living room.

“Are you kidding me?” He hisses even as he sends _I’ve been gone for forty minutes. Seriously what the fuck?_

Within seconds he gets a photo back of Baekhyun and Jongin, both of them wearing shit eating grins.

_Did you plan this? I’m going to kick your asses I swear. Where the fuck did all those people come from?_

A couple of minutes go by and Chanyeol watches as, one by one, the others see his message and irritation bubbles in his chest when none of them reply.

_Really???_

Eventually he gets a response from Jongin.

_We need more beer._

“I’m going to fucking kill them.” Chanyeol mutters under his breath and he’s properly angry now. “I’m not even joking this time, I am going to murder them.”

His phone starts to ring and he answers it, “what the fuck, Baek?”

“You’re mad, aren’t you?” Baekhyun mumbles down the phone and Chanyeol can barely hear him over the music blasting in the background.

“Of course I’m mad!” Chanyeol runs a hand through his hair and then slaps his hand against the roof of the car in frustration. “You’re throwing a party in my apartment! Without asking! Did you expect me to be okay with that?”

“It’s only a few people.” Baekhyun argues.

“More like fifty.”

“Your apartment is the nicest after Joonmyun’s and we were already at yours.” Baekhyun says and he’s drunk enough that he thinks that this is a valid excuse. Chanyeol has to bite his tongue to stop himself from chewing Baekhyun out. He knows his friend well enough to know it’ll just fall on deaf ears. “There was no point in going all the way to his when we could just have the party here.”

“Or maybe you could have not thrown a party? You know, that was always an option.”

“But you’ve been so stressed recently and we’ve not had one in ages. We needed one.”

“We’re throwing one next week.”

“Yeah but that’s going to be _boring_. There’s going to be kids there.”

He hears someone scream in the background and then something smash.

“I hate you.” Chanyeol says.

Baekhyun snorts and mutters something that Chanyeol doesn’t quite catch before saying, “bring Minseok back with you.”

“What?”

“It’s, like, the perfect opportunity for your first fuck.” Baekhyun tells him with a giggle. “Come on, Yeol, what better excuse is there to get him back to yours?”

“You planned this, didn’t you, you asshole?”

“I’ve only got your best interests at heart.”

“I’m hanging up now.” Chanyeol says.

“Okay, okay, but get more alcohol, yeah? Jongin wasn’t joking about the beer situation.”

“Goodbye, Baekhyun.”

He hangs up and stuffs his phone in his pocket, his heart racing as he mulls over Baekhyun’s words.

Because it’s a terrible idea… But he’s right, isn’t he? It is the perfect opportunity to spend more time with Minseok, maybe take things further if Minseok wants to. The omega had been the one to kiss him first on Thursday evening so he knows that he’s interested.

But there’s the twins and Chanyeol knows they’re going to ruin any plans that he might want to make. Minseok needs to pick them up from Yifan’s and take them home and put them to bed, he can’t just ditch them to go to a party. He knows that and he understands that they’re Minseok’s children and that they’re always going to come first but he can’t help but resent them in that moment.

He wants Minseok, all of him, and now Baekhyun has planted the idea in his brain it’s all he can think about: Minseok soft and pliant under him, his breath hot on Chanyeol’s neck, his hands running up and down the expanse of Chanyeol’s back and nails leaving marks that burn in their wake. He wants to make Minseok moan and scream his name as he falls apart under Chanyeol’s touch.

He wants it – he wants it so much – but he knows he can’t have it.

They’re not even properly together, not yet, and it’s too early to be thinking about things like that never mind how much he hopes and wants it to happen. He can’t rush things.

He shouldn’t.

But then Minseok is climbing into the passenger seat and Chanyeol is breathing in his scent – and it smells so much like his own again – and it clouds all of his better judgement.

“Do you want to come back to mine?” He asks.

“What?”

“There’s a party. Do you want to come?”

 Minseok blinks and looks out of the window, back at the restaurant, and shifts in his seat. His face is blank and Chanyeol has no idea what he’s thinking but he hopes Minseok is considering it.

“It’ll be fun.” Chanyeol says and he leans and over and plants a quick kiss on Minseok’s cheek. “We can celebrate you being free of that place.”

Minseok bites his bottom lip and twists the strap of his bag around his fingers.

“Come on.” Chanyeol tries to goad him. “Yifan and Zitao can watch the boys for one night. It’s already late, it’s not like they’re going to notice if you don’t take them back to yours tonight.”

“We sometimes sleep at theirs on a Saturday.” Minseok admits and he’s still looking out of the window. “I’ll call Yifan and see what he says. But can you- will you just drive? I don’t think… We should just go, okay?”

Chanyeol nods and starts the engine, “sure.”

Minseok doesn’t turn to look at him until the restaurant is out of sight.

“Better?” Chanyeol asks.

“Yeah.” Minseok breathes. He takes his phone, a great brick of a thing that Chanyeol hasn’t seen the likes of since he was a kid, out of his bag and he presses at the buttons with clumsy fingers before holding it to his ear. “Hello, Yifan? Yeah, I’m fine- are the boys okay? How has Sehun been? Has he fussed much? Okay. Okay. That’s good. I’m glad they’re okay. No, I’m with Chanyeol. Yeah. Yeah, I know. He- there’s a party at his and-. Are you sure? I can… Okay. Okay. I will. Thank you. Give them a kiss from me. Thanks, Yifan. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Chanyeol is grinning when Minseok slots his phone back into his bag, “so that’s a yes?”

Minseok nods, “yeah.”

“You’re going to have fun, I promise.” Chanyeol babbles as he makes what is probably an illegal turn. “Jongdae’s going to be there and I’ll make sure that Baekhyun and Jongin lay off, okay? It’ll be fun.”

“If you say so.” Minseok says.

“Don’t be like that.” Chanyeol scolds him without really thinking about what he’s saying. “You’re not going to enjoy it with that kind of attitude. Maybe you’ll feel better once you’ve had something to drink. Are you nervous? You shouldn’t be, there’s not going to be loads of people there.”

And Chanyeol is so excited that he can’t help the stream of words that burst passed his lips and fill the silence between them. Minseok’s scent is so close to being his own again and it smells so _good_ that it just makes him want Minseok all the more.

He talks all the way to the store and then as they fill the cart with crates of beer and bottles of spirits and the remaining distance to his apartment and he’s so caught up in himself that he doesn’t notice the yawns and coughs that Minseok tries to stifle.

He calls Jongdae and has him and Jongin meet him in the parking lot to help them carry everything up.

“Minseok!” Jongdae exclaims on seeing the omega. “What are you doing here?”

“Chanyeol invited me.” Minseok replies and he shoots Chanyeol a nervous glance as Jongdae pulls him into an overenthusiastic hug. He squirms and works his way free within seconds. “That’s okay, isn’t it?”

“Of course.” Jongdae nods and the beta shoots Chanyeol a look that tells him that he’s not nearly as drunk as he’s pretending to be. “I’m just surprised to see you.”

“You’re so small.” Jongin coos, clearly wasted. He pats at Minseok’s cheek and the omega presses himself into Chanyeol’s side as he tries to avoid Jongin’s touch. “Do you think you’d fit in my pocket?”

Chanyeol drapes his arm around Minseok’s shoulders, “shut up, Jongin. How much have you had to drink?”

“At least five.” Jongin states.

Chanyeol rolls his eyes, “I really don’t want to know, do I?”

Chanyeol and Jongin carry two crates of beer each while Jongdae takes one and Minseok carries a couple of bags with the bottles of spirits in. They deposit everything on the kitchen island after pushing their way through the crowds of people crammed into Chanyeol’s apartment before making a second trip to the car to get the remainder of the alcohol.

Jongin immediately disappears into the throngs of people once everything has been safely delivered, a bottle of soju grasped tightly in his hand, but Jongdae lingers.

“Do you want to get changed?” Jongdae calls to Minseok over the music. “I’m pretty sure I left some jeans here the other week.”

Minseok sneaks a look at Chanyeol before nodding, letting Jongdae wrap a hand around his wrist and lead him through the mass of bodies in the direction of the bedrooms.

“It was good of you to bring the slut.” An alpha Chanyeol doesn’t recognise says, leaning into his space as he watches Minseok go. “Shame you let that little beta have a go with him first, though. I’d have liked to break him in myself but I don’t mind settling for sloppy seconds.”

Chanyeol bristles, “you touch him and I will end you.”

“Is that a challenge?” The other smirks. He pulls himself up to his full height and Chanyeol squares up to him. “He must be a good fuck if you’re not willing to let me have a go with him.”

“Get the fuck out of my apartment.” Chanyeol growls, his hands balling into fists.

“Or what?”

Chanyeol shoves him in the chest, hard.

“Do you really want to find out?” He asks.

Jongin reappears then with Baekhyun and Joonmyun hot on his heels and they cluster around Chanyeol, making the other alpha draw back.

“Fine.” He relents and Chanyeol knows he’s only giving in because he’s outnumbered. “I’ll go.”

Joonmyun follows him out of the apartment to make sure he actually leaves and Baekhyun and Jongin fall into one another, the tension leaking from their bodies with the threat gone.

“What the hell was that, Yeol?” Baekhyun slurs.

“Who did you invite to this thing?” Chanyeol asks, popping open a bottle of beer and downing it in seconds. He feels a bit shaken and he knows the alcohol will help to soothe his nerves.

“I’ve no idea who that guy was.” Baekhyun shrugs and watches with bleary eyes as Chanyeol opens a second bottle. “He was such an asshole.”

“He looked mean.” Jongin agrees. “We should have totally kicked his ass. We could’ve, I bet you. We could’ve totally taken him.”

“Says the guy who stood on his dog’s paw last week and cried.” Chanyeol rolls his eyes.

“What?” Baekhyun shouts.

“You promised you wouldn’t tell!” Jongin wails.

“Oops.” Chanyeol shoots him a sweet smile.

Baekhyun is laughing so hard that he has to hold onto the kitchen counter to keep himself upright.

Jongin punches Chanyeol on the arm and his cheeks flush an even deeper shade of red, “you’re such a dick.”

Chanyeol grabs him by the shirt as he unbalances, “is that any way to speak to your hyung?”

“Fuck you.” Jongin pouts and rights himself.

“I’m going to pee my pants!” Baekhyun declares as he gasps for breath.

“What’s so funny?” Joonmyun asks, snagging a beer for himself as he rejoins their group.

His question just sets Baekhyun off with fresh peals of laughter and Jongin glares at them both, daring them to speak.

“Did that guy leave?” Chanyeol changes the subject.

“I followed him to the elevator and made sure that he actually got in it.” Joonmyun tells him. “He won’t be coming back.”

Chanyeol feels himself relax at last, “good. He was being really gross about Minseok.”

Joonmyun’s eyes widen, “Minseok’s here?”

“Yeah, and?” Chanyeol challenges. He hadn’t thought about how Joonmyun was going to react to Minseok.

“You’re such a moron. An unbonded omega around this many alphas and betas when there’s alcohol involved? That’s just asking for trouble.” Joonmyun shoots back.

“It’s not like he’s in heat or anything.” Chanyeol argues.

“That’s not the point.” Joonmyun tells him and runs his hand through his hair. “Where is he now? You didn’t let him go off by himself, did you?”

“I’m not a total idiot. He’s with Jongdae.” Chanyeol says, crossing his arms over his chest. “What do you care anyway? You hate him.”

“I-.”

“It’s Chanyeol’s hoe!” Baekhyun cuts Joonmyun off, looking passed the two of them and completely ignoring their heated conversation.

Chanyeol turns and sure enough Minseok is on his way back to them, a step behind Jongdae as they force their way through the crowd.

“Hey.” Chanyeol says when Minseok is at his side once more. “Are you ready for a beer?”

Minseok nods and Chanyeol opens a bottle and passes it to him with a smile before helping himself to another. He plants the hand he’s not holding his beer with on Minseok’s waist and he feels a rush of exhilaration when Minseok leans into him.

“We should do shots.” Baekhyun says.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Joonmyun tells him, still looking annoyed.

“It’s a party.” Jongin argues.

“My party apparently.” Chanyeol shoots Baekhyun a glare and gets a wide smile in response. He rolls his eyes and shrugs. “I say we do shots. Why not? It’s been ages since we got properly wasted.”

Baekhyun lets out a whoop and he and Jongin fall over themselves to retrieve the stack of plastic shotglasses from the other side of the kitchen while Jongdae rifles through the plastic bags Minseok had carried in.   

“I don’t think those two need any more to drink.” Joonmyun says.

“Let them have their fun.” Jongdae replies and finally settles on a bottle. “It’s Chanyeol’s apartment they’ll make a mess of if they end up throwing up.”

“If they get sick then they’re cleaning it up themselves.” Chanyeol tells them. He squeezes Minseok’s waist. “Are you going to do shots with us?”

“Yeah.” Minseok nods and the movement is jerky. He takes a sip from his beer and Chanyeol sees his hands are shaking and he thinks that maybe Minseok is nervous to be around Joonmyun after the way their last couple of encounters have gone.

Jongdae shoots Chanyeol a look he doesn’t understand before he turns his gaze to Minseok and his expression softens, “you don’t have to, Minseok. I’m not going to.”

“It’ll be fun.” Minseok says and Chanyeol beams at him.

They take shots in rounds before making a game of it, pitting themselves against each other and seeing how many they can do in the time given, and it isn’t long before Chanyeol feels the flush of alcohol in his system. He becomes loud, probably obnoxiously so, but Baekhyun and Jongin are well past that point already so it’s okay. Minseok, too, begins to loosen up and slur his words but he’s still quieter than Chanyeol wants him to be.

Jongdae is in charge of pouring shots and keeping time and Chanyeol doesn’t miss the way his eyes linger on Minseok. The alcohol and the alpha in him make him irrational and he makes sure to keep a hand on Minseok at all times so that Jongdae doesn’t forget who Minseok is there with, doesn’t get any ideas. This earns him a scowl whenever they catch each other’s gazes and Chanyeol makes sure to return the expression.

Joonmyun is the first to duck out of their game but he hangs around to watch and laugh at the others. His cheeks are pink and his smiles are wide and Chanyeol knows him well enough to know he’s more than a little tipsy.

Minseok stays in the game, even if Jongdae offers him another out, and he keeps up better than Chanyeol expects him to. Chanyeol feels a strange sense of pride whenever he manages to get one over on either Jongin or Baekhyun. This happens more and more often as the game drags on and the two alphas get even more wasted.

“This is boring.” Jongin complains when he loses his third round in a row. “Let’s go dance.”

Chanyeol thinks that they lose the others somewhere between the kitchen and the living room but he’s past the point of caring. The world is spinning and he feels unsteady on his feet but it’s okay because Minseok is pressing back against him and holding onto Chanyeol’s hands as they wrap around his waist and they’re swaying to the music.

Chanyeol buries his nose in Minseok’s hair and breathes in his scent. His heart pounds in his chest and his mind races. He can hardly believe this is happening, it feels like some kind of dream. The good kind, the ones that have him waking up with sticky sheets. But it’s better, too, because it feels so real when Minseok wriggles his hips and Chanyeol immediately pulls him closer, begins to grind against him and feels the heat of his body.

“Fuck, Minseok.” Chanyeol whispers into his ear before pressing sloppy kisses down his neck.

Minseok turns his head and their lips crash together. The angle’s awkward but the kiss is hot and heavy and hungry nevertheless. He feels himself start to get hard and Minseok doesn’t help the situation. He’s wearing one of Chanyeol’s long sleeved t-shirts and smelling his own scent on the omega just makes his want burn so much fiercer.

He wants Minseok to wear his scent every day for the rest of eternity.

Minseok twists in his arms so that their chests are flush against one another and they gasp for air as the world shrinks to just the two of them.

“I love you.” Chanyeol murmurs and Minseok just smiles.

Their lips meet again and this kiss is no less desperate. This time their hands roam each other’s bodies and Minseok’s hands feel warm against his chest as his hands slip under his t-shirt.

“Do you want to-?” Chanyeol asks when they break apart.

Minseok nods.

They make it to Chanyeol’s room and he slams Minseok against the closed door and their lips and their hands are everywhere. Chanyeol fumbles with the lock but as soon as it’s clicked shut Minseok is pushing him backwards. They stumble further into the room and Chanyeol lets himself fall back onto the bed when his legs hit it, dragging Minseok down with him and making their teeth clack together in a way that should be painful but Chanyeol is far too drunk to notice.

Minseok straddles his hips and they sit upright. Minseok twists his fingers into Chanyeol’s hair and Chanyeol snakes his hands under Minseok’s t-shirt, tries to pull him closer.

“Jesus.” Chanyeol moans when Minseok starts to suck at the sensitive skin of his neck. “Minseok…”

Minseok grinds down onto his lap and Chanyeol reacts instinctively, hips snapping up to meet Minseok’s.

But then Minseok is dragging him forwards so he’s sitting on the edge of the bed and then he’s crouching between Chanyeol’s legs and fumbling with the fastening of his jeans.

“Shit.” Chanyeol hisses and he knocks Minseok’s hands out of the way so he can undo his jeans himself. He wiggles them down his hips and to his knees and Minseok pulls them down so they pool around his ankles.

Minseok rubs at his erection through the cotton of his boxers and he nips and bites at the inside of his thighs. Chanyeol is already hard, so hard it hurts, but Minseok continues to tease.

Chanyeol moans his name and then, “please…”

Minseok eases Chanyeol’s erection free of his boxers and his mouth is so close, his breath feeling cool on Chanyeol’s overheated skin, but he doesn’t take Chanyeol in his mouth. Instead he pumps his dick and rubs his thumb over the head and Chanyeol twitches and jerks.

“Oh, fuck, Minseok, please…” Chanyeol pleads.

And then without any warning Minseok almost swallows him whole.

Chanyeol’s hips buck up and Minseok gags. He pulls away to suck and lick at the tip, his hand coming up to work furiously on the rest of his length, and Chanyeol feels like he’s short-circuiting. 

“Shit- Minseok!” Chanyeol shouts when Minseok deepthroats him once more.

He tangles his fingers in Minseok’s hair and sets the pace at which Minseok’s mouth works his dick and he’s so close.

“I’m going to- oh, shit.” Chanyeol tries to warn but he’s not even sure he’s speaking words anymore.

Minseok doesn’t try to pull away and instead lets Chanyeol jerk up into his mouth, once, twice, three times and then he’s coming with a shout.

Minseok swallows and Chanyeol is spent.

He flops back onto the bed and tries to catch his breath as Minseok rocks back on his heels.

 “Chanyeol?” Minseok asks, his voice flat.

“Yeah?” Chanyeol pants.

“Where’s your bathroom?”

Chanyeol makes a lazy gesture to the door on his left and Minseok staggers to his feet. He crosses the room quickly and Chanyeol doesn’t think anything of it until he hears Minseok throwing up.

Chanyeol’s eyes widen and he sits up so quickly his vision flickers and the world spins. He tucks himself back into his boxers and kicks off his jeans as he stumbles to the bathroom, feeling queasy at the sound of Minseok’s retching.

The omega’s eyes are red and tears are streaming from them as his body heaves and he grasps desperately to the toilet. There’s not much coming up, just liquid and bile, and Chanyeol rubs at his back and a distant voice in his head wonders when the last time Minseok ate was.

Chanyeol tries to press some toilet paper into Minseok’s hands when he’s done so he can wipe at his face but Minseok seems to have shut down, his eyes wide and glassy and staring straight through him. So Chanyeol instead wipes the sick from his lips and his chin with clumsy hands and tries not to worry.

Minseok’s just drunk, that’s all. This is probably the most he’s had to drink since before the twins were born and it’s all catching up with him.

He’s just drunk.

Chanyeol flushes the toilet and he pulls Minseok to his feet and he’s so pliant under Chanyeol’s touch. He lets him pour mouth wash passed his lips, doesn’t even flinch when Chanyeol manages to spill most of it down his front, and swills and spits when Chanyeol instructs him to.

And then suddenly his legs won’t hold him anymore.

Chanyeol’s reactions are almost non-existent with the alcohol in his system and the orgasm he’s just experienced so he doesn’t quite catch Minseok before he hits the floor.

“You’ve had too much to drink.” Chanyeol tells him as he tries to pull him back to his feet. Minseok can’t seem to get his legs underneath him so Chanyeol lifts him into his arms instead.

He trips over his jeans on the way back to the bed but they don’t fall. Chanyeol places Minseok on top of the covers and strips him of his jeans and socks as Minseok stares blankly ahead.

“Do you want me to take the t-shirt off?” Chanyeol asks and his words come out garbled. “You might be too warm with it on.”

Minseok doesn’t reply so Chanyeol leaves it on.

He tugs his own t-shirt over his head and climbs onto the bed next to Minseok. It takes no small amount of effort to manoeuvre them so they’re spooning under the blankets but it’s worth it to hold Minseok in his arms, to breathe him in.

“You’ll feel better in the morning.” Chanyeol whispers to him and he can feel sleep calling him. “You’ll see.”

He notices the tremors running through Minseok’s body and pulls him closer, thinking the omega must be cold. He presses sleepy kisses into Minseok’s hair and smiles because Minseok is so beautiful and perfect and he’s in Chanyeol’s bed.  

The party is still in full swing beyond the bedroom door, the music still pumping and people singing and shouting, but Chanyeol’s eyes are suddenly too heavy to keep open.

He falls asleep and when he wakes the next morning Minseok is gone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's chapter six. This chapter is really heavy going and discusses some difficult themes. I've put warnings below just in case but nothing is gone into in graphic detail.
> 
> As always, thank you, Lily<3
> 
> Warnings: mentions of alcoholism, miscarriage, abuse

Chanyeol’s apartment is a disaster zone.  

He spends the first half an hour after he’s crawled out of bed wandering around in a haze and waking up the people passed out around the place and kicking them out. He’s pleased, in a distant and foggy kind of way, to find Baekhyun and Jongin amongst them, the former in the spare room and the latter on the floor of the main bathroom. Usually they’re the first to try and sneak away the morning after, stumbling out the door still drunk or in a totally inappropriate state of dress, neither of them wanting anything to do with the aftermath of the night before. Chanyeol’s glad to have caught them before they can make their getaway. It’s only fair, he thinks, that they help him clean up. It was their idea, after all, and Chanyeol has other things he wants to do with his Sunday like find out where Minseok is and evict the dozen or so tiny men with pickaxes who seem to have taken up residence in his head. He knows that he needs to keep an eye on them, though, that the challenge with them, unlike everyone else, is making sure that they don’t try to leave.

Thankfully, they’re both so hungover that they do little but lay on the sofa and groan.

Chanyeol seems to be the closest to the land of the living so he makes them all coffee and bowls of cereal and they huddle together on the sofa and survey the chaos surrounding them with dull eyes.

“Shit.” Baekhyun says at last.

Jongin blinks and sips at his coffee, “what?”

“What?” Baekhyun repeats a minute or so later.

“Shut up.” Jongin says.

Chanyeol thinks about putting the television on but he has no idea where the remote is and he lacks both the energy and the motivation to look for it. They sit in silence and Jongin dozes with his coffee cup in his hand. Chanyeol and Baekhyun watch with slack jaws as the cup tilts more and more to the side and neither do anything to stop it from spilling all over Jongin’s lap.   

He doesn’t stir.

“That was an anti-climax.” Baekhyun murmurs.

“Yeah.” Chanyeol agrees.

“Is Minseok still in bed?” Baekhyun asks around a yawn.

“No.” Chanyeol gives a slow shake of his head and worry bubbles in the pit of his stomach. “He was gone when I woke up.”

“Did you put on a less than impressive performance last night?” Baekhyun smirks, suddenly looking more alert than he did seconds ago.

“We didn’t have sex.” Chanyeol tells him.

“Well, shit.” Baekhyun says. “Did you not want to or...?”

 “He was way too drunk.” Chanyeol tells him. “He threw up.”

“Gross. I bet that killed the mood.”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol agrees without really thinking. 

He pats at where his pockets would be if he was still wearing his jeans but he’s only got his boxers on. This means his phone is probably on the floor of his room somewhere and he knows he should go get it but he’s so tired and comfy and his head is pounding. He leans into Baekhyun instead and watches with lazy eyes as he flicks through his phone.

“You took some good photos.” Chanyeol says. “You know, considering how drunk you were.”

“Like you were any better before you and Minseok disappeared.” Baekhyun tells him. He swipes through another couple of photos before letting out a groan. “I don’t remember taking any of these.”

He brings up a photo of Jongin vomiting out of one of the windows and Baekhyun snorts.

“My neighbours are going to hate me.” Chanyeol says with a sigh.

“We invited most of them. How else do you think we got so many people here so quickly?” Baekhyun asks.

“I really don’t want to know.”

“Yeah, actually that’s probably for the best.”

Chanyeol shakes his head and then winces, “you’re such assholes. I was so mad.”

There’s a loud knocking on the door then and it startles Jongin awake. He looks down at his lap and swears, making Baekhyun laugh.

Chanyeol pulls himself to his feet and shuffles across to the door as the knocking starts up again. He calls, “alright, alright, I’m coming.”

He pulls the door open and immediately gets a fist in the face.

He reels backwards but somehow manages to keep himself on two feet. He brings a hand up to cradle his jaw and lets out a long moan as it throbs.

“What the fuck, Jongdae?” He spits out.

“What did you do?” Jongdae shouts and he pushes at Chanyeol’s chest. “What the fuck did you do?”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t done anything!” Chanyeol pushes Jongdae back and he’s suddenly wide awake. They glare at each, waiting for the other to make a move.

“What’s going on?” Jongin asks with wides eyes. Both he and Baekhyun are standing now, ready to jump in if needed. “Why are you fighting?”

“Tell them.” Jongdae demands.

“I didn’t _do_ anything!” Chanyeol insists and he’s telling the truth because his mind is completely blank. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really?! So you honestly have no idea why I’ve just spent an hour in the car with an obviously traumatised omega?”

“What?” Chanyeol feels his stomach give a painful twist.

“He was shaking, Chanyeol, all the way to get the twins. He wouldn’t look at me and he flinched every time I spoke.” Jongdae’s voice is hard and Chanyeol’s heart races at the mention of the twins. He looks back at Baekhyun and Jongin but neither of them look surprised. Chanyeol thinks they might not have noticed. “So I’m asking you again: what did you do?”

“He was sick last night, he had too much to drink.” Chanyeol says. “But that’s all. I didn’t hurt him or force him to do anything he didn’t want to.”

“So what did you do?” Jongdae asks.

Chanyeol flushes, “we kissed and then he… he gave me a blowjob.”

“Did he choke on your dick?” Baekhyun asks and Jongdae shoots him such a vicious glare that it has him ducking for cover behind Jongin.

“You’re such a fucking idiot.” Jongdae spits.

“He wanted to!” Chanyeol argues, throwing his hands up in the air. “I didn’t make him do anything!”

“Didn’t you?” Jongdae asks and Chanyeol starts to feel a creeping sensation under his skin. “Didn’t you notice how off he was last night? Didn’t you think about what he’d just done? How that must have left him feeling?”

“He didn’t say anything.”

“Did you really expect him to? This is _Minseok_.” Jongdae snaps at him. “He was in such a bad place last night but he was trying so hard for you, Chanyeol. He played that stupid game and he made himself smile even though he was surrounded by alphas and betas looking at him like he was a piece of meat.”

“I- I didn’t notice.” Chanyeol says but he had.

He had seen Jongdae staring at Minseok and thought of him as a threat instead of a concerned friend.

“I know you didn’t.” Jongdae shoots back. “Because you didn’t notice anything. Were you walking around with your eyes shut? He did every little thing you asked of him last night and you… Did you even ask how it went with Jihoon?”

“No.” Chanyeol admits and he feels sick. “I was just thinking about the party and-.”

“And getting laid?” Jongdae cuts him off. “Christ, Chanyeol. You’re such a selfish asshole sometimes. What the fuck were you thinking?”

“Did he say? How it went with Jihoon, I mean.”

“How do you think it went?”

Chanyeol stumbles into the kitchen and he pours himself a glass of water that he gulps down. It doesn’t help the nausea that swells in his stomach.

Guilt and horror surges through him and his mind races.

How could he have not noticed? How could he have been so selfish? He had known Minseok was nervous about telling Jihoon he was leaving the restaurant and he had been so wrapped up in himself and what he wanted that he hadn’t even asked Minseok how it had gone.

And Minseok- Minseok had spent the whole night glued to Chanyeol’s side and he had been so jittery and so unlike his normal self and Chanyeol hadn’t even noticed.

“Oh my god.” Chanyeol breathes and the smell of spilled alcohol and half empty bottles sends him over the edge. He throws up into the sink, all over the glasses piled in there, and it smells disgusting and his throat and his eyes burn. He gasps for breath as he retches. “Oh my god.”

The others are stood in the doorway, watching him, and none of them move to help.

“What the fuck did I do?” Chanyeol asks. “Oh my god. He’s going to hate me. What have I done?”

“You fucked up.” Jongdae tells him and Chanyeol knows he’s right.

“But I didn’t… He was the one to take things further. I didn’t- shit, I didn’t _force_ him, did I?”

“No.” Jongdae shakes his head and his face softens just a fraction. “I don’t think so. But it should never have gotten to that point.”

“This is so messed up.” Jongin mutters.

 Baekhyun suddenly looks guilty, “I didn’t- I don’t get it. What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s hungover.” Jongdae says.

“Not Chanyeol. Minseok. What happened? What’s wrong with him?” Baekhyun asks. “I mean besides the obvious.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Chanyeol asks and he spits into the sink.

“Well, you know the whole having kids out of bond thing.” Baekhyun says.

“You know about that?” Chanyeol tenses and his grips at the counter so hard his knuckles turn white.

“Baek worked it out after your sob session last week.” Jongin tells him, seemingly more disgusted by the smell of vomit wafting from the sink than their topic of conversation. “And then he told me because you know he can’t keep his big mouth shut.”

“And then they ganged up on me on Friday night and made me tell them they what I knew.” Jongdae says.

“How- how did you work it out?” Chanyeol asks. “I was so _careful_.”

“I’m more than just a pretty face.” Baekhyun tells him and his words lack their usual bluster.

Chanyeol clears his throat and tries to squash down the nerves bubbling in the pit of his stomach, “and you’re fine with it? It’s not… It’s huge.”

“We’ve had our time to get used to it.” Baekhyun shrugs.

“And it’s- you’re okay with it?”

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Jongin raises an eyebrow at him, dragging his eyes away from the sink.

“Like I said yesterday, we just want you to be happy.” Baekhyun tells him.

“Though that’s going to be hard with you fucking it up every step of the way.” Jongin adds.

“It was Baekhyun’s idea to invite him.” Chanyeol says and that earns Baekhyun a punch on the arm from Jongdae.

“You didn’t have to listen.” Baekhyun hisses as he rubs at the sore spot on his arm.

“You’re all morons.” Jongdae says. “I have no idea why I’m friends with any of you.”

“I’m innocent in this.” Jongin pouts.

“What should I do?” Chanyeol asks, ignoring the other alpha, and there is finally some relief mixing with the tension and the nerves. “Should I go around to his?”

“No, give him some space.” Jongdae says with a quick shake of his head. “Call him tonight and make sure he’s okay. You’re seeing him tomorrow anyway.”

“So what is it then?” Baekhyun asks and Chanyeol doesn’t recognise the look on his face. “What’s wrong with Minseok?”

“There isn’t anything _wrong_ with him.” Jongdae frowns. “Life has just screwed him over. He’s been told for so long that what he wants doesn’t matter because of who he is and what he’s done- he was going to wind up believing it eventually. How could he not? There’s only so many times you can get back up again after being knocked down.”

“That’s not true.” Chanyeol shakes his head. “Minseok’s stronger than that. He’ll always get back up.”

“Poor little omega.” Jongin mutters but, despite his words, there’s no mocking in his voice.

“Just tell us what you need us to do.” Baekhyun says after a short pause. “And we’ll do it.”

Chanyeol turns away so they can’t see the tears that well in his eyes.

They spend what little is left of the morning and most of the afternoon clearing up. Or at least Chanyeol, Jongin and Baekhyun do. Jongdae sits and watches and issues instructions but doesn’t do anything to help. Chanyeol knows it’s his way of punishing them for the night before so he does everything that Jongdae tells him to do without any kind of argument. He knows he deserves so much worse.

Dinner time rolls around and Chanyeol disappears into his room while the others argue about where they’re going to order food from. He’s not surprised to find that there aren’t any messages waiting for him from Minseok when he digs his phone out from his jean pocket but he still feels disappointed.

He dials Minseok’s number and waits with bated breath for him to answer, his heart hammering in his chest. It goes through to voicemail and Chanyeol hangs up before he’s asked to leave a message.

He tries again and again and what little hope Chanyeol has been holding onto is drowned by the despair that overwhelms him.

He buries his head in his hands and twists his fingers in his hair – tries not to think about the hazy memories of Minseok doing the same the night before – and he starts to sob.

He’s screwed everything up and he doesn’t know how he’s going to fix it.

If the situation can even be fixed.

He had hoped but now he’s certain it can’t be because Minseok won’t even take his calls and Chanyeol doesn’t know what else he can do. It wouldn’t be fair to show up at Minseok’s apartment and force Minseok to spend time with him when he doesn’t even want to talk to him on the phone and he can’t keep calling him because he knows that’s just going to push him even further away.

He doesn’t know what to do.

Because Minseok is starting at his new job in the morning and Chanyeol is supposed to be the one driving him there but now he thinks he should ask Jongdae to do it instead. He doesn’t want to cause Minseok any more pain if he can help it.

He wipes at his face and pulls himself to his feet so he can go talk to Jongdae but then his phone starts to ring.

“Minseok?” He breathes as soon as he’s got the phone pressed against his ear. “Thank god, Minseok. Are you okay?”  

“I’m sorry.” Minseok says.

“What on earth could you be sorry about?” Chanyeol asks.

“My phone was in my bag and I didn’t hear it vibrating and-.”

Chanyeol laughs, relieved, but it comes out as more of a sob, “I thought I’d lost you.”

“You’re not going to lose me.” Minseok murmurs.

“Why?” Chanyeol chokes out. “Why do you stick around when all I do is keep hurting you?”

“Chanyeol…”

“All I’ve done is fuck things up. Last night- last night shouldn’t have happened. I should have just taken you to Yifan’s like we had planned instead of dragging you to the party. You must have been so tired after working and your head in completely the wrong place and I didn’t even _ask_.”

“Maybe I wasn’t ready to talk.” Minseok says but Chanyeol doesn’t really hear him.

“I should have asked. I should have made sure you were okay instead of just thinking about myself and what I wanted.” Chanyeol continues. “I just- I got an idea into my head and I couldn’t let it go and I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have even been thinking about it in the first place.”

“You wanted to fuck me.” It isn’t a question.

Chanyeol’s mouth snaps shut and he feels a lump in his throat. He doesn’t know what to say.

“I could tell by the way you were looking at me, Chanyeol. I knew what you wanted.”

“Minseok-.”

“And it was okay, you know? You’re the first person in a long time who has looked at me like that and I’ve not-. I wanted to make you happy.”

“You don’t have to give yourself to me to make me happy.”

“How else am I meant to do it?” Minseok asks and he suddenly sounds close to tears.

Chanyeol is lost for words.

“You spend so much of your money and your time on me and what do I have to give you in return?” Minseok’s voice drops to a whisper, “I don’t want you to leave me.”

“What?” Chanyeol’s voice comes out harsher than he intends.

“Please- look, I know last night was disappointing and I’m sorry, okay? I had too much to drink and I… After Jihoon… We can- you can come around tonight if you want and I’ll let you fuck me to make up for it. Whatever you want… Just, I really like you, Chanyeol. I’ll do whatever you want me to do if it means you’ll stay.”

Chanyeol can taste bile at the back of his throat. He doesn’t speak, he doesn’t trust himself to, not without throwing up for the second time that day.

“Chanyeol? Are- are you still there?”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol forces himself to say and he swallows thickly.

“Have I said something wrong?” Minseok asks and he sounds nothing like his usual self.

“I…” Chanyeol pauses and lets out a long, tired sigh before saying anything else. “Last night shouldn’t have happened. It was too soon to be thinking about doing anything like that and I’m sorry for putting you in that situation. I’m sorry I made you think that you’d have to do something that makes you uncomfortable just to keep me interested. That’s not what I wanted.”

“I don’t understand.” Minseok says.

“This is just so fucked up.” Chanyeol tells him because he doesn’t know what else to say. Nothing is going to make this better. “I don’t know how to fix this.”

“You’re breaking up with me?”

“We were never together.” Chanyeol reminds him.

“Okay.” Minseok says and his voice sounds hollow.

“I want to be with you, Minseok, because I love you – _I love you so much_ – but I think we need to take a break for a little while. We’re not helping each other. I think we just need a bit of time to get our heads sorted and then we can think about being together, okay?”

“Okay.” Minseok says again.

“I’ll have Jongdae come pick you in the morning at about half seven.” He says and then, when Minseok doesn’t say anything, adds, “I’ll talk to you in a couple of days. Message me if you need me, okay? Goodbye, Minseok. I love you.”

He hangs up before Minseok can speak and he throws his phone down onto the bed next to him. It bounces off the mattress and lands on the wooden floor and when he picks it up he finds his screen has cracked. He resists the urge to pitch his phone across the room and instead throws himself back on his bed and screams.

 He’s so angry because the world has fucked Minseok up so horribly and Chanyeol doesn’t know if he’s strong enough to make things better. He doesn’t even know if he can. He’s fallen in love with someone who he doubts he’s strong enough to fix and it _hurts_.

He hears footsteps thundering in the direction of his room and his door bangs open but he feels too tired, too hollow, to react. His anger has gone and left nothing behind but emptiness.

“Chanyeol?”

“What the fuck, man? Did you see a spider?”

“I can’t do it.” He tells them.

“What are you talking about?”

“Minseok. I can’t be with him.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Chanyeol shakes his head, “I’m being deadly serious.”

He feels the bed dip around him as his friends join him: Jongdae on his left, Jongin on his right and Baekhyun curled awkwardly around his head.

“What happened?” Jongdae asks.

“Everything’s just so fucked up. He’s fucked up. Whoever he was with before really screwed him over. The things he said… It made me feel sick.”

“What did he say?” Baekhyun runs his hands through Chanyeol’s hair, drags his blunt nails across his scalp, and he relaxes into his touch.

“He thought the only reason I was with him was so I could sleep with him. That that was the only way he could make me happy.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Of course not.” Chanyeol answers in a heartbeat. “All he has to do is look at me and I feel like my heart might burst. He’s just… He’s funny and he’s kind but he doesn’t take any shit either, you know? At least not from anyone other than me. He works so hard and he never complains and he’s just such a _good_ person and I love him. I love him so fucking much but he’s a mess and I don’t know if I can deal with that.”

Baekhyun slaps him on the top of the head so hard it stings, “you’re a fucking moron.”

“What?”

“You keep saying you love him.” Jongin says. “But as soon as things get hard you’re ready to give up?”

“But-.”

“But what?” Baekhyun cuts him off.

“We’re just making everything worse.” Chanyeol tells them.

“What were you expecting?” Jongdae asks. “For him to break things off with Jihoon and leave the restaurant and for everything to be magically okay? That man _abused_ him, Chanyeol, and not just physically. He had Minseok living in permanent fear of losing his job and the only means he had of providing for his sons. He had him so twisted up and scared that Minseok did everything he asked, he even gave himself to the bastard, just so he could keep on earning. Did you really think he’d just bounce back from that?”

“I don’t know.” Chanyeol admits. “I didn’t think.”

Baekhyun hits him again, “fuckwit.”

“So what did you tell him?” Jongin asks.

“I said we should take a break, get our heads in order before we try anything else.”

“Oh my god.” Baekhyun groans.

“So right when he needs you most you’re just going to walk away?”

“That’s not- I need some time.”

“And what about what Minseok needs?” Jongdae asks. “Have you thought of that?”

“This will be good for him, too.” Chanyeol says and he tells himself he’s not trying to convince himself of this, too.

Their food arrives and they eat around the dining table. None of them really speak, instead choosing to focus their attention on their phones, and Jongin and Baekhyun leave as soon as they’ve cleared their plates. Jongdae only hangs around long enough for them to move the car seats across to his car and to confirm plans for the following day.

Jongdae is disappointed with him, doesn’t even try to hide it, and it does nothing to make Chanyeol feel any better about the situation.

And Chanyeol finds he can’t sleep that night. He spends hours and hours staring at the ceiling and replaying the conversation he’d had with Minseok over and over again.

He texts Jongdae when the sun starts to rise the next morning and tells him he’s not feeling well so he won’t be going to the centre. He gets a response an hour or so later telling him that Jongin has agreed to help out for the day and that he hopes Chanyeol feels better soon.

He doesn’t get out of bed all day.

He spends hours both asleep and awake, more often than not caught somewhere in between, and he’s exhausted when Tuesday morning rolls around.

He meets Jongdae at the centre just after ten and the beta takes one look at him before pulling him into a hug.

“You idiot.” He says but his words are soft. “Why are you doing this to yourself?”

“I don’t know.” Chanyeol answer him truthfully. “I miss him.”

“And he misses you, too. You’re both wrecks.”

“How did his first day go?” He asks.

“Okay, I think.” Jongdae shrugs. “He didn’t talk very much. I think Kyungsoo has started to get his first tooth through and both of the twins have generally been a bit chesty and grumpy. It wouldn’t surprise me if Minseok’s been up with them most of the night.”

“That’s really shit.”

“Even one baby is ridiculously hard work. I have no idea how he does it with two.” Jongdae tells him.

“What choice does he have?” Chanyeol asks.

They spend the morning in the garden measuring up the area blocked in by the path for turf and then stencilling the mural they’re going to paint onto the back wall in chalk. Neither of them are artists so it looks pretty terrible but Jongdae’s deliberately bad drawings do help to lift his mood a little.

They grab lunch from a noodle joint a couple of blocks away from the garden centre that they spend the better part of the early afternoon at. They buy turf and tins of brightly coloured paints for the mural as well as other little things they hadn’t thought about before like a watering can and small tools to use in maintaining the flowerbeds. They even see a kids gardening set so they get one of those, too.

It’s approaching half three by the time that they’re done and Jongdae nudges him with his elbow as they pack everything into the trunk of his car, “one of us is going to need to set off soon to get Minseok from work.”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol nods and he knows what Jongdae’s getting at.

“Do you want to go get him?” Jongdae asks. “I’ll hang around at the centre so if things don’t go well then I can take Minseok and the twins home. I’ve still got the car seats in the back.”

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea.” Chanyeol frowns.

“The longer you leave it, the harder it’s going to be to talk to him.” Jongdae tells him and Chanyeol knows he’s right.

They drive back to the centre and they move the stuff from Jongdae’s car into the garden before Chanyeol sets off in his own car to go collect Minseok.

He fidgets the whole journey there, not seeming to be able to get comfortable. He skips songs he normally enjoys listening to on his playlist and fiddles with the volume controls every couple of minutes. He’s nervous, ridiculously so, but he’s desperate to see Minseok, too. They’ve only been out of contact for less than forty-eight hours but to Chanyeol it feels like centuries.

He pulls into the showroom’s parking lot just after five and he only has to wait a couple of minutes for Minseok to appear. He watches as Minseok looks around the parking lot for Jongdae’s car and so he catches the relief and happiness that flashes across his face when he sees Chanyeol’s instead.

“You came.” Minseok says as he pulls the passenger side door open. “I didn’t think- hello.”

“Hello.” Chanyeol smiles at him but it falters when he gets a good look at Minseok.

He looks exhausted. His skin is ashen and there are bags under his eyes that are so dark they look like bruises. His lips are pale and cracked and his hair looks greasy and unkempt, like he’s run his hands through it too many times, and he just looks… He looks _sick_. 

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asks and he watches Minseok’s hands shake as he does his seatbelt. “You look like shit.”

“You don’t look much better.” Minseok replies without really glancing at him and Chanyeol knows he’s not looking his best but he still looks a thousand times better than Minseok.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Minseok sighs and his shoulders slump, “I’m fine, Chanyeol. I’m just tired.”

“How was work?” He asks, not wanting to push Minseok further than he wants to go. “Are you enjoying it?”

“Yeah, it’s good, thank you. It’s- it’s not hard. I just mostly have to greet people when they arrive and answer the phones. When customers who have appointments with the designers arrive I show them through to the consulting rooms and make them drinks. It’s… It’s nice. It’s different.” Minseok forces himself to smile.

“But it’s boring, right?” Chanyeol asks.

Minseok’s cheeks flush red and he looks out of the window.

“It’s okay.” Chanyeol tells him. “You can say it. It’s not being ungrateful or anything. I thought it might be a pretty boring job but it’s not forever, okay? It’s just until you can get on your feet and find something better.”

“There’s just so much time to _think_.” Minseok says and he sounds miserable.

“What about?”

“The boys and whether I’m doing enough for them, all the bills I still need to pay, the list of chores I have waiting for me when I get home…” He sighs. “And then, then there’s us, too. What are we doing, Chanyeol? Why do we keep screwing this up?”

“I don’t know.” Chanyeol answers. “I think… I think everything’s just moved so fast and we’ve made a mess of things but we’ve never actually stopped to talk about it before moving on to the next fuck up. It’s like we’ve just been digging ourselves deeper and deeper into a hole and not thought about how we’re going to get ourselves back out again.”

“But you want to, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol says and then he repeats himself, makes himself sound firmer. “Yeah, I do. Do you?”

“Yeah.” Minseok nods. He bites at his bottom lip as he mulls over his words and Chanyeol thinks he’s working up the courage to speak so he doesn’t say anything. Eventually, Minseok continues and he doesn’t look in Chanyeol’s direction not even once. “I felt something between us that first day we met in the restaurant. It was- it was like fire in my chest and I was so mad with myself because I wasn’t ready and you were such an asshole, you know? Talking about money as if it meant nothing when I’ve had to work so, so hard for everything I’ve got while still knowing it’ll never be enough. I wanted so badly to hate you but then you kept coming back and you were kind to Yixing and to me and then I found out about what you were doing for the centre and I thought, I thought that maybe you were okay after all. So I thought I’d try. Maybe it would be okay to get to know you a little because nothing was going to happen between us. You being you and me being who I am… I started to serve you again and I made conversation and I liked you. I liked you so much. You were such a dork but you made me laugh and smile and feel _good_ about myself.”

Chanyeol sees Minseok smile then and his stomach gives a little lurch.

“It’d had been such a long time since someone had made me feel like that. I think I’d almost forgotten the feeling- it was so addictive. Your visits quickly became my favourite thing about work. But then you asked me out on that date and I knew I should tell you about Kyungsoo and Sehun. I knew I should but I was stupid enough to think that everything could just keep on going the way it was if I turned you down. I know it sounds ridiculous but I guess I just wanted to pretend for a little bit longer that there was hope.”

“And then I found out about the twins.”

Minseok sighs, “it’s not how I wanted you to find out. I was so mad at myself for forgetting to pack the rain cover for the stroller and they were so sick. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I knew no one in the crèche would help me and I didn’t have the money for the bus and- and then you were there and you were so _angry_.” Minseok pauses and coughs, his chest rattling. “But you gave us a ride anyway. I was so… I didn’t know what to do. I thought you were going to turn your back but you helped us instead and I knew, I knew you’d want something in return because alphas always do. And it’s just easier to go along with what they want, give it to them instead of making them take it. But you… You pushed me away and I was so confused.”

“I hadn’t- I would never expect that from you.” Chanyeol’s voice shakes as he speaks. “I don’t want you to force yourself to do things you don’t want to just because you think you owe me or because you think I want them.”

“I know.” Minseok says but Chanyeol doesn’t think he does, not really. “It’s just… I’ve said no before and it’s never ended well.”

“Is- is that how the twins..?” Chanyeol trips over his words as horror runs through him.

“No.” Minseok answers quickly. “God, no. They were- I met their dad when I was in middle school. He was older, nearly twenty at the time I think, and he was just so _cool_. He had this leather jacket and he smoked and all the other kids were so jealous because he liked _me_. And I was so happy because someone wanted me and that’s all you’re taught to want growing up when you’re an omega. We’re told we’re not worth anything until we have a bondmate and it makes us so desperate because none of us want to be unwanted, we all know the shame it would bring our families.

“He made me feel so good and I fell for him so hard. My parents hated him but I didn’t care. He told me they were just jealous that I’d found someone while I was still so young and that I was so happy and I believed him. We stayed together all the time I was at school and as soon as I was finished we moved to the city. We got a little apartment together and we both got jobs and then I reached majority and I was just so certain that he was going to bond with me. I loved him so, so much and he told me he felt the same so I just kept expecting it to happen but it never did. We hadn’t been in the city long before things started to change. I told myself that I was just being a stupid kid, that he loved me and that he wasn’t pulling away. I just thought that maybe I didn’t understand. He kept telling me how much he hated his job but he would snap at me when I tried to suggest anything that might help. And then… And then he started to drink and he’d get _so mad_. He’d always threaten to leave and it used to terrify me because I loved him and I couldn’t stand the thought of being without him. I didn’t know how to be without him. We’d been together for so long and I just couldn’t see who I was without him. My whole life revolved around him and making sure I did every little thing I could to make him happy.

“It wasn’t enough for him. Sometimes he’d disappear for a couple of days and I was always so scared that he’d never come back. He always did, though, eventually and he’d always apologise and we’d make up and I’d hope and I’d pray every time that we did that this would be it, he’d finally bond with me. Because, despite everything, I still loved him with everything I had. He never did.

“And then when I was twenty I had a miscarriage.” Minseok takes a sharp inhale before exhaling slowly and Chanyeol’s heart hurts for him. “I had a miscarriage and he just _left_.”

“Minseok…” Chanyeol murmurs and the omega grips tightly at his hand when he offers it to him.

“He was gone for two weeks. _Two whole weeks_. And when he came back I was _so happy_. I thought he had been angry at me, that he blamed me for what had happened. He told me he’d just been upset, that he’d needed to get away to clear his head. But- I could smell it on him. He’d been with other people. I couldn’t believe it. We had just lost our baby. We’d just lost our baby and he left me to go sleep with random strangers. I thought it was his way of punishing me but it made me glad, for the first time in all those years, that we weren’t bonded. But I was such a coward. I never confronted him about it and I didn’t dare leave him. But I told myself it was all okay because he was so good to me the first month or so after and it felt like it had at the start. He kept telling me how much he loved me and he was just so sweet and caring and I was such an idiot. I fell for it.”

“That doesn’t make you an idiot.” Chanyeol tells him, softly. “You were in love.”

Minseok shakes his head and lets out a bitter laugh, “I was an idiot. He never tried to bond with me even after that and I stopped hoping for it to happen. His drinking started to get worse and I didn’t know what to do. Every time I tried to talk to him about it he’d just get mad and leave or he’d-. So I stopped. He was so unhappy and I was so desperate to make him stay so I did everything I could and it was never enough. I could see it in his face every time he looked at me and I knew in the last few months that I never would be what he needed or wanted. But we kept going through the motions and I didn’t know what to do change things. Then he lost his job the day after we found out I was pregnant and he just left. No goodbyes or apologies, he just took his stuff and cleared out our bank account and left.”   

“Oh my god.” Chanyeol whispers.

“I lost my job and the apartment and it just felt like the world was falling down around me. It all happened so quickly. My family didn’t want anything to do with me, they wouldn’t even talk to me. I moved into the apartment where I am now and I met Yifan’s mom. She was really ill but she took one look at me and decided she was going to do everything she could to help me. I was such a wreck but she dragged me back up onto my feet again and looked after me the best she could. That’s when I met Yifan. He didn’t like me at first, I think he thought I was trying to con his mom or steal her away, but it didn’t take him long to warm up to me. He’s treated me like a little brother ever since, even if I am older.” Minseok gives his hand another squeeze and Chanyeol squeezes back just as tightly. “And then I got the job at the restaurant when I was about three months along and I met Yixing and Luhan. They both looked out for me at work and covered for me when I was too sick to be of much use. And I got really sick. I don’t know if it was just all the stress or if I just wasn’t built right but my body just couldn’t deal with the extra pressure.

“The doctors said I probably would have struggled with just the one baby but two? Two was just too much. My body started to shut down. I started losing weight and I kept passing out and I was just so exhausted all the time. But I kept pushing myself, making myself go to work, even though I really shouldn’t have been getting out of bed at all. The babies weren’t doing well either, they weren’t growing quick enough. From the time I was twenty-one weeks, I was going to the hospital every week for injections and checks ups. Every day that I could carry them was a victory but I was just so _stupid_.” Minseok uses his spare hand to tug at his hair as he fights back tears. “I just kept on pushing myself past what I knew was safe. I knew I was putting the babies in danger but I just couldn’t think straight and I couldn’t stop. It was like if I paused for even one second then the world was going to stop spinning and I couldn’t- I just needed to keep going.”

“Oh, Minseok…” Chanyeol says and he hurts for him, he hurts so much.

“And then I ran into _him_ one morning on the walk to work. He was just coming out of a shop and I didn’t see him and we bumped into each other and I knew- it was him. He looked so different, though. He’d put on some weight and had cut his hair and he just looked so… I don’t know. He looked _happy_. I hadn’t seen like that for years and it made me doubt- but it was _him_ and he looked down at my belly and then up at my face and he looked through me as if he didn’t even know me. As if I was nothing, as if the near decade we’d been together had never happened… As if I wasn’t carrying his children.” Minseok pulls his hand free from Chanyeol’s grip and he wipes at his eyes with the cuffs of his shirt, trying to hide his tears as much as he can, and Chanyeol doesn’t know how to comfort him. “And what was worse- I smelled… He was bonded. To someone else. After all those years and how much I’d wanted and tried for it and not even eight months after he’d walked out the door he was bonded to someone else.”

“That’s horrible.” Chanyeol murmurs and he can’t imagine the pain that Minseok must have been through. “Did you say anything to him?”

Minseok shakes his head vigorously, “no. I couldn’t. He just continued on walking and I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t do anything. The world was spinning and I couldn’t breathe and I just… I don’t know. I don’t even remember getting to work. I must have, though, because Luhan found me passed out by the side door and I was _bleeding_. Yixing called Yifan and he took me to the hospital. The twins were born a couple of hours later.”

Chanyeol feels tears well in his own eyes as Minseok continues to wipe away his own.

“And, god, they were so tiny. I could hold Kyungsoo in one hand and Sehun wasn’t that much bigger. But I was so, so lucky because they were mostly okay. I went back to work two weeks after they were born because I couldn’t afford to take any more time off but I lived at the hospital when I wasn’t at the restaurant. Yifan’s mom was there when I couldn’t be or Yifan or Zitao so they were never alone. That made me feel better but I hated being away from them. Those were the worst seven weeks of my life.” Minseok tells him. “But bringing them home… It was amazing and I just feel so lucky every day that I get to spend with them. I could have so easily lost them.”

“But you didn’t.” Chanyeol reminds him.

“No.” Minseok agrees with a sigh and a sniff. “I think they’re the only reason I’ve kept on going, why I’ve never given up. They need me and I’ve had to be so strong for them. And I just… They’re my world. I love them with all my heart.”

“I know you do.” Chanyeol says. “And you’re such an amazing dad. It’s obvious how much they love you, too.”

“Do you really think?” Minseok asks.

“Definitely.” Chanyeol nods. “The way they smile when they see you… It’s beautiful, Minseok.”

Minseok smiles and it’s happier this time, more genuine, “I only have a couple of photos of the boys from when they were really little… Do- do you want to see them?”

“Sure.” Chanyeol says and he watches as Minseok digs through his bag for his wallet.

“Yifan took this a couple of days after they were born.” Minseok tells him as he passes over a tattered photograph.

“Shit, Minseok, they were so tiny!” Chanyeol exclaims.

There’s no one else in the photograph for frame of reference but Chanyeol can tell from just how alien they look just how small they are. They’re laid next to one another and there are so many wires and tubes and the diapers they’re wearing look huge on their skinny frames.

“This one is Sehun.” Minseok says pointing at the baby wearing the pale green knitted hat. “And this is Kyungsoo in the blue. There wasn’t even half a pound between them at that stage but you can really see the difference, can’t you?”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol nods. “Were you not terrified?”

“Of course.” He answers simply. He pulls a second photo from his wallet and gives it to Chanyeol. “And this is from the day I brought them home.”

This photo has Minseok in it. He’s sat on the sofa in his apartment and he looks so tired and skinny but, somehow, better than he looks now. He’s smiling, though, so wide that his cheeks must hurt as he stares at the camera. He has a twin cradled in the crook of each arm and they’re dressed in matching grey and white onesies and hats and they still look so, so small.

“They were just over four pounds each then.” Minseok tells him. “It’s amazing to see how much they’ve grown since then, isn’t it?”

Chanyeol passes him the photo back, “do you have any more?”

Minseok shakes his head, “the first thing I’m going to do when I have a little bit of spare money is buy a camera. They’re growing so quickly and I’m worried I’m going to forget how small they were, how lucky we’ve been.”

“Maybe in a couple of months.” Chanyeol says.

“Yeah.” Minseok nods. “Maybe.”

They lapse into silence then and Chanyeol’s heart throbs. He feels calm, though, strangely so after everything he’s just learnt. He looks at Minseok, really looks at him, and for the first time he thinks Minseok is truly laying himself open for Chanyeol to see.

He sees the fear and the uncertainty in his eyes but he sees strength, too, and determination. It makes the fire in his heart spark and flare and he swears he’s never loved Minseok more than he does in that moment.

“Thank you.” Chanyeol says.

“For what?” Minseok asks.

“For telling me all that, I know how hard it is for you to open up.” Chanyeol answers. “But I’m glad you felt you could trust me enough to share all that with me.”

Minseok looks away, “and now you know just how messed up I am.”

“I do.” Chanyeol says and then winces when the words leave his mouth.

“Is this… I get it, you know. If you don’t want to see me again.”

“Why would I want that?”

“Why wouldn’t you? I mean, look at me, Chanyeol, look at my life. Why would anyone, let alone _you_ , want _me_? I’m not enough. I wasn’t for _him_ and I’ll never be enough for the twins… I’m not even enough for Jihoon, never mind how much he wants to own me. I’m not enough. I’ll never be enough for you.” Minseok sounds resigned and empty. “You should be with someone who can love you in all the ways that you deserve. Someone who can give themselves to you completely, someone who is clean and whole and- and not like me. I’m so dirty, Chanyeol. Can’t you see the filth on my skin? Can’t you see all the places they’ve touched me and all the ways I’ve been used? I’m disgusting. I don’t know how you can even stand to be near me now you know the truth.”

The air in the car is heavy and Chanyeol knows that whatever he says next is going to either make or break them.

“Minseok.” Chanyeol murmurs. “Look at me.”

Minseok brings his eyes up to meet Chanyeol’s. They’re bloodshot and his lashes are still wet from the tears drying on his cheeks and he looks so fragile, like he’s seconds away from shattering into a million pieces.

“I’ve made a mistake.”

Minseok’s face falls.

“I’ve made a mistake because I’ve never told you just how much you mean to me. These last six weeks or so, ever since I’ve met you, I’ve just- you make me so happy. Every time I see you I feel like my heart could burst out of my chest. You’re so beautiful. I could spend hours staring at you and it would still never be enough. I could spend the rest of my life looking at you and I’d still want more.” Chanyeol says. “But there’s more to it than that. You’re so strong, Minseok. The world has treated you so badly but you still smile and laugh and try so hard. You’re amazing. Honestly, just… Amazing.”

“Chanyeol…”

“And, for some reason, you love me. After all you’ve been hurt and after all the shit I’ve pulled, you just keep on going. You keep on loving and that’s so special, Minseok. You could have so easily turned your back to the world, just as much as it’s turned its back on you, and become bitter and spiteful. But you haven’t. You have so much love and I feel so lucky and honoured that some of that is for me.” Chanyeol smiles at him. “And I’m not going to waste it, not again. Especially not now when I know just how hard you’ve fought to keep on loving.”

Minseok’s cheeks turn pink but he doesn’t look away from Chanyeol’s gaze, “what are we going to do?”

“Start again.” Chanyeol says. “A completely blank slate.”

“Okay.” Minseok whispers.

“And we’ll take is slow this time, okay? Maybe go on a few dates, take the boys out at the weekends and just take it slow. No rushing into things and hurting each other. Not this time.” Chanyeol tells him. “This is too important for us to mess up again.”

“Okay.” Minseok says again and he smiles.

“Just… talk to me, Minseok. Tell me if I’m being stupid or pushing you faster than you want to go. I’ll always listen. I promise you, I’ll always stop when you tell me to.”

“I know.” He tells him.

“We’re going to make this work.” Chanyeol murmurs and they’re inching closer and closer together.

“We’re going to make this work.” Minseok repeats and he’s so close Chanyeol can feel his breath on his cheek.

They kiss then and it’s so soft, barely more than brushing their lips against each other’s before they’re pulling away. Chanyeol curls his hand around the back of Minseok’s neck and the omega grasps tightly at the front of his t-shirt. They lean into each other’s body heat, their foreheads pressed together and their eyes closed.

They breathe each other in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on tumblr: hrhqueencoco


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is a beast being just short of 13k. So, so much work has gone into this. I really hope you guys enjoy it. I can't wait to hear what you think!
> 
> Same warnings as the previous chapter apply as well as the warnings in the tags.
> 
> Lily - thank you as always<3

Minseok falls asleep on the way back to the centre.

Chanyeol turns the music off as soon as he notices and he smiles as the omega shifts and mumbles something incomprehensible in his sleep. 

He doesn’t wake him when they get to the centre, knowing he needs the rest. Instead he messages Jongdae to come out to the parking lot and he gets out of the car, making sure to close the door quietly behind himself.

“How did it go?” Jongdae asks with a frown when he sees Chanyeol sitting on the hood of his car. “Why are you sitting on my car?”

“Minseok’s asleep in mine.” Chanyeol shrugs. “I don’t want to wake him.”

“But- okay. Never mind.” Jongdae sighs and sits next to him. “How did it go?”

“Good.” Chanyeol tells him. “He really opened up to me… He told me some things I probably didn’t want to hear.”

Jongdae gives him a disapproving look.

“That sounds bad, doesn’t it?” Chanyeol asks before continuing. “But I don’t mean it like that. I want to know. I want to know everything I can about him. But knowing what he’s been through and hearing him talk about it- they’re two different things. Honestly, it’s horrible... I didn’t want to hear him tell me all that. I didn’t want to watch him breakdown over it and see just-. He’s such a good person and he’s not deserved anything that’s happened to him. He’s been hurt so badly, Jongdae.”

“How so?” Jongdae questions and Chanyeol knows he’s asking because he can tell Chanyeol needs to talk to someone about it rather than to satisfy his own morbid curiosity.

“The twins’ dad- he, he messed him up. He was a lot older but they’d been together since Minseok was in middle school and it’s just sick. He turned Minseok against his whole family and them against him. He twisted him up and fucked him over and he just made him feel like he was never enough and Minseok loved him so much that he believed him. He tried so hard to make this guy happy but nothing was ever enough.” Chanyeol lets out a shaky sigh. “And then whenever things got hard, he left, and it just makes me feel like shit because isn’t that just what I’ve done, too? I’ve always been ready to run as soon as things started to look like they might get difficult.”

“Yeah.” Jongdae agrees. “You have.”

“I’m no better than him, not really.”

“You are.” Jongdae tells him with a quick shake of his head and his voice sounds firm. “Because it’s going to be different this time, isn’t it? Now you know how badly Minseok’s been hurt… It has to be different if you want it to work.”

“I do.” Chanyeol quickly says. “I do. I want it so badly and I think – knowing what I know now – it’s just made me want to be stronger for him, be better. He’s been through so much shit and he hasn’t deserved any of it. He’s more than I could ever even hope to be. I need to be better.”

“So you’re actually going to try this time? Properly?”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol nods. “I’m not going to waste this opportunity.”

“Good.” Jongdae smiles.

“I just- thanks… Thanks for talking sense into me and not letting me give up. No doubt I’d have screwed this up so much worse without you here to help me. I know I’ve been such a dick about this whole thing.”

“You have.” Jongdae says. “But you know better now, don’t you? You understand more.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand, not really. How anyone could hurt Minseok like that…” Chanyeol sighs. “But I know more. I’m not saying I’m not going to screw up again in the future because we all know I’m fucking idiot. I will mess up because that’s just what I do. But… But I think I know now how much I have to try and how much work it’s going to take to make things how they should be. How we want them to be. It’s going to take time and I’m okay with that.”

“Wow.” Jongdae looks at him with raised eyebrows.

“What?”

“You actually sounded like an adult then.”

“Shut up.” Chanyeol blushes and pushes him off the car.

They’re not as quiet as they probably could be as they set up the seats for the twins in the back of Chanyeol’s car but Minseok doesn’t stir.

“He must be exhausted.” Jongdae murmurs once they’re finished and he looks worried.

“We’re going to have to wake him, though, aren’t we? They’re not going to let us just take the twins without Minseok there to say it’s okay.” Chanyeol says.

“I know, I got in so much trouble for taking Kyungsoo out of the crèche last week.” Jongdae frowns. “I still don’t like the idea of waking him when he so obviously needs the sleep.”

“Maybe he’ll have a better night with the twins.” He says with a frown.

“Maybe.” Jongdae says but he looks doubtful.

Chanyeol is gentle as he shakes his shoulder and whispers his name but Minseok still startles awake. He looks around with wild eyes as he gasps for breath and pulls at the seatbelt digging into his chest.

“Where are we?” He asks.

“The centre.” Chanyeol tells him. “You fell asleep pretty much as soon as I put the car into go.”

“Oh.” Minseok says and he brings a hand up to rub at his face. “God, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Chanyeol smiles at him. “Do you want a couple of minutes to wake up or are you ready to go get the boys now?”

“Let’s go get the boys.” Minseok says.

He undoes his seatbelt and pulls himself out of the car but he trips over his own feet as he takes his first step. Chanyeol and Jongdae immediately reach out to steady him and he flashes them quick smiles.

“Are you okay?” Jongdae asks.

“I think I’m still half asleep.” Minseok tells them before coughing into his hand.

“Did you get any sleep at all last night?”

Chanyeol watches Minseok’s face carefully as he answers Jongdae’s question and he thinks he’s lying when he says, “I got a few hours. More than the night before at least.”

Neither Chanyeol or Jongdae push him any further but they share worried glances that Minseok misses as he sets off for the entrance. They follow a couple of paces behind him and Jongdae bumps his shoulder into Chanyeol. He forces himself to smile at his friend.

The babies are crying when they enter the crèche. They’re in the playpen again and Kyungsoo is sat on the floor with his head tipped back and tears and snot running down his face while Sehun is holding onto the railings and screaming and his voice hoarse.

Chanyeol sees that there are no toys in the playpen with them and neither of the two care staff on shift, one of them he recognises as Yunseo, the beta who had tried to warn him away from Minseok the week before, seem like they are in any rush to see to them.

Minseok heads straight for them and Sehun holds out his arms on seeing him, wanting to be picked up, as he lets out a tired sob and then a wet sounding cough. Minseok obliges as soon as he’s close enough and Sehun buries his head into his shoulder and continues to cry.

Minseok runs a hand over Sehun’s head before rubbing at his back and speaking softly to him, “what’s wrong, Sehunnie? Are you not feeling very well?”

“Do you want me to get Kyungsoo?” Jongdae asks even as he moves to pick up the other twin.

Minseok nods as he continues to try soothe Sehun and Jongdae reaches over the railings of the playpen for Kyungsoo. The baby screams at the top of his lungs and squirms and fights Jongdae’s hold on him and Chanyeol’s worried for a second that Jongdae’s going to drop him. He doesn’t but it’s a close thing.

“Oh, crap.” Jongdae blurts as he quickly secures his grip on Kyungsoo, his eyes wide with shock. “Don’t do that!”

Kyungsoo just throws his head back and continues to scream.

“What’s wrong with them?” Chanyeol asks.

Minseok looks furious, “is Kyungsoo’s diaper wet, Jongdae?”

Jongdae pats Kyungsoo’s bottom as best as he can while he kicks and flails and then lifts him so he can take a cautious sniff at his diaper. He wrinkles his nose, “I think he’s more than just wet.”

Minseok purses his lips and throws a vicious glare in Yunseo’s direction but does nothing more than that. Instead he walks over to the rickety looking changing table in the far corner and lays Sehun on the mat.

“Do you want me to do anything?” Chanyeol asks, watching as Minseok begins to pull supplies from his bag while keeping a hand on Sehun’s chest to keep him secure.

“There are some cupboards in the cloakroom,” Minseok says, “on the bottom shelf there’s blue plastic bag with a change of clothes for the boys in it. Can you get it for me?”

Chanyeol nods and rushes to do as he’s been asked. It takes him a couple of minutes to find the bag Minseok wants as it’s been shoved right to the back and so this means that by the time he returns to the main room Sehun is undressed and most of the way through having his diaper changed.

Chanyeol tries not to look at him, wanting to protect the baby’s modesty, and instead digs through the bag, “what do you want from in here?”

“I think there’s a green t-shirt and some navy joggers in there, can I have those? And one of the short sleeved bodysuits.” Minseok says. “Sehun’s wet through and I doubt Kyungsoo is going to be any better.”

Chanyeol pulls out the requested items and sets them on the edge of the changing table, by Sehun’s thrashing feet, before stepping back and out of the way. It takes a couple more minutes for Minseok to finish changing his diaper and then to dress him in clean clothes but Sehun is still crying when he’s done.

“Can you take him?” Minseok asks him. “While I change Kyungsoo.”

“Sure.” Chanyeol nods. He holds Sehun against his chest and strokes the baby’s head when he rests it on his shoulder. Sehun coughs and splutters and continues to sound so horribly miserable that Chanyeol feels utterly helpless. He tries to soothe him by talking to him, “you’re okay, little man. I’ve got you and your daddy and Jongdae are here, too. We’re all going to look after you and make sure you’re okay.”

“I think he might be hungry.” Jongdae says as he steps closer to him, arms now free as Kyungsoo is with Minseok. “Do you have any snacks for him, hyung?”

“In my bag.” Minseok replies, nodding down at the messenger bag resting against his hip.

Jongdae digs through it as Minseok continues to change Kyungsoo, “is it all up his back? No wonder he’s so grumpy.”

“They put him in the wrong size diaper.” Minseok explains.

Jongdae frowns and eventually pulls out a small packet of rice cakes. He pulls it open and immediately offers one to Sehun who takes it and begins to eat it around hiccupped sobs. Jongdae hands him another once he’s finished with that one and by that time Minseok has finished wiping Kyungsoo clean and changed him into a fresh diaper. Jongdae passes him a fresh set of clothes from the carrier bag still hanging from Chanyeol’s wrist and then takes Kyungsoo once he’s dressed, giving him a rice cake.

“I’ll just be a minute.” Minseok tells them and Chanyeol watches as he walks over to Yunseo and asks, “can I have a word, please?”

They disappear into the cloakroom and Minseok closes the door behind them.

“Why didn’t you change them?” Jongdae asks the remaining care worker.

The omega is very young, probably just out of her teens, but Chanyeol can smell that she’s already bonded. There’s guilt and worry on her face as she looks between Jongdae and Chanyeol and the door to the cloakroom, “Yunseo said to leave them, that they were just fussing for attention. I would have- she wouldn’t let me go over to them.”

“You’re new, aren’t you?” Chanyeol asks.

“Yes.” The girl replies, nodding her head and refusing to meet his eyes.

“Don’t trust anything that woman tells you.” He advises her as Sehun gives a pitiful sniffle. “She’s nothing but a liar.”

Minseok and Yunseo emerge from the room a couple of minutes later. Minseok is carrying the stroller and his face is carefully blank, “let’s go.”

“What did you say to her?” Jongdae asks once they’re at Chanyeol’s car.

“It doesn’t matter.” Minseok shrugs. “It’s not like she’ll listen.”

“We’ll check on the boys tomorrow whenever we get a few spare minutes.” Chanyeol tells him and he unlocks the car.

Minseok shoots him a grateful smile even if none of the tension in his body fades, “thank you.”

The omega loads the stroller into the trunk while Jongdae and Chanyeol strap the twins into their seats in the back. Minseok gives them another rice cake each as he checks their fastenings and then they say their goodbyes to Jongdae.

They stop at a pharmacy on the way to Minseok’s apartment and Chanyeol runs into the store to buy medicine for the babies with money that Minseok insists he takes. They don’t say much during the car ride and the twins are mostly quiet so there’s nothing to distract Chanyeol from the tension that builds in Minseok’s shoulders as they get closer and closer to his apartment.

“Is everything okay?” Chanyeol asks once they’re parked outside Minseok’s apartment block.

“Yeah, I just… Can you see that window up there?” Minseok points at the one he means and waits for Chanyeol to nod before dropping his hand back down onto his lap. “That’s ours. Will you… Will you wait until you see me wave at you before you go? I just- I just want…”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol nods and his heart is thumping painfully loud in his chest because he thinks Minseok is scared he’s just going to hightail it out of there at the earliest opportunity. “Of course. I’ll wait.”

“Thank you.” Minseok leans over to him and brushes his lips against Chanyeol’s cheek.

He helps Minseok load the twins into the stroller, giving them kisses goodbye and Minseok a quick hug, and then climbs back into the car to watch for Minseok at his window. It doesn’t take long for him to appear, only about five minutes, and even from this distance Chanyeol can see the relieved smile on his face as they wave at each other.

Joonmyun is waiting at his doorstep when he gets home.

“Chanyeol.” He says, an easy smile lighting up his face when he sees him approaching. He stuffs his phone into the pocket of his suit jacket. “I was just about to call you.”

“What are you doing here?” Chanyeol asks and he eyes the box at Joonmyun’s feet. “What’s with the box?”

“They’re the fliers for the party on Saturday.” Joonmyun tells him as he stoops to pick up the box and Chanyeol lets them into his apartment. Joonmyun lets out an impressed whistle. “This place looks heaps better than it did when I last saw it.”

“It took us hours to clean it up.” Chanyeol says. “Jongdae oversaw. It was horrible. I’m never throwing a party at mine again.”

“You didn’t throw this one, did you?”

Chanyeol snorts, “that’s true. Do you want to stop for dinner?”

“What are you having?”

“Take out.” Chanyeol shrugs. “So whatever you want.”

“As long as I pay, right?” Joonmyun asks with a roll of his eyes. “But sure, we’ve not seen very much of one another in the last couple of weeks. I’ve spent more time at the office than I was really expecting to this summer but it’s been really interesting actually. Mom’s had me helping on a couple of big projects.”

“Do you actually get to see her much these days?” Chanyeol asks. He’s already kicked off his shoes and is making a beeline for the sofa, Joonmyun a couple of steps behind. “Or is she as elusive as ever?”

“I’ve seen her quite a lot.” Joonmyun shrugs his jacket off and undoes his tie and folds them both over the back of the loveseat before he throws himself down on it. “It’s been really nice. Seeing her in action… She’s amazing at what she does.”

“She has to be, doesn’t she?”

“What do you mean?”

“She needs to be raking it in to keep up with your designer obsession.” Chanyeol smirks.

Joonmyun shrugs, “it’s her way of making up for being so busy. I’m not going to complain if it makes her feel a bit less guilty.”

“And you continue to get what you want.”

“Are you not going to offer your hyung a drink?” Joonmyun changes the subject as he cheeks flush red. “Where are your manners? I didn’t raise you to be such a brat.”

“You’re not my real dad.” Chanyeol pretends to scowl even as he drags himself up from the sofa. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“Just get me a beer before I die of dehydration.” Joonmyun tells him.

They watch a movie they’ve seen a hundred times before as they wait for their food, acting out bits of dialogue as it happens on the screen and then teasing each other mercilessly whenever one of them gets it wrong.

They don’t talk about the centre or Minseok or anything that might disturb the peace between them but Chanyeol finds he desperately wants to. He looks up to Joonmyun a lot, has always trusted him to give him good advice and look out for his best interests, and it feels strange to not share such a big part of his life with him when Joonmyun’s always been one of the first people he turns to when he needs help or wants to share some exciting news. 

It makes him uncomfortable keeping Joonmyun at arm’s distance when they’ve been best friends since they were in diapers. But more than that, he’s missed him over these past few weeks and it makes his heart hurt to think he might be forced to choose between one of his best friends and the person he loves.

He doesn’t want to lose Joonmyun but he knows it’s more than likely he will because, now he has him, Minseok will always come first.

It’s when Joonmyun’s getting ready to leave that he breaks the news.

“I can’t come on Saturday.” He says. “There’s this lunch my mom wants me to go to so she can introduce me to a couple of her overseas clients. I couldn’t say no.”

“That sucks.” Chanyeol’s face falls.

“I know.” Joonmyun says. “I was looking forward to it but there’s not much I can do.”

“Yeah, I know.” Chanyeol shrugs. “It is what it is.”

Joonmyun pauses by the door just before he leaves and pulls Chanyeol into a long hug, “I’ve missed you, Yeol.”

“I’ve missed you, too, hyung.” Chanyeol says, slightly taken back but grateful for the contact all the same.

“Call me if you need anything, okay? I won’t be in the office as much after Friday so I’ll have more time. I’ll always pick up if you need me.” Joonmyun’s face is deadly serious. “I mean it, Chanyeol. You’re my brother and I love you, I don’t want you to think you can’t come to me with anything you might be struggling with or want to talk about.”

He thinks Joonmyun is expecting him to tell him about Minseok but the moment is too sweet, too tender and Chanyeol doesn’t want to ruin it. He says, “I know, hyung. Thank you.”

Joonmyun looks disappointed for a second and Chanyeol worries that he’s messed up but then he’s smiling and standing on his tiptoes so he can ruffle his hair and the tension eases, “I’ll see you around, brat.”

“Sure thing, old man.” Chanyeol shoots back and he’s still smiling long after he’s closed the door.

He sleeps easier that night, not bothered by dreams or thoughts he can’t shake, and, he wakes early the next morning feeling refreshed and more content than he has in days.

He picks Minseok up at half seven as promised and helps with the twins as much as Minseok allows him to. They drop them off at the crèche and then Minseok lets himself fall asleep on the way to the showroom. Chanyeol spends the journey back to the centre after he’s dropped Minseok off wondering what’s causing the tension radiating from the omega but resolves to let Minseok talk to him about it when he feels ready.

He hopes it’s soon because all he wants is to help.

It takes him and Jongdae the whole day, excluding their half hourly trips to the crèche to check up on Kyungsoo and Sehun, to lay the turf in the garden. It should be simple, really, but they have to fit it around the legs of the climbing frame and the swing set and they just end up getting frustrated with one another when they keep getting it wrong. Thankfully, though, they work out that they can fill in any gaps by cutting off tiny sections and stamping it down so that there at no noticeable lines. It ends up looking really good once they’re finished and they’re both more than a little pleased with themselves by the time Chanyeol leaves to go collect Minseok.

Jongdae waves him off but stays to hang around the crèche so he can play with the twins and hand out fliers for the party on Saturday to the parents coming to pick up their children.

That day Minseok is asleep within seconds of putting his seatbelt on and Chanyeol worries because he still looks so sick and tired. He doesn’t push the omega for answers, though, not even now, no matter how much he wants to know, and instead waits for him to open up, trusting him to do so once he’s ready.

Thursday passes in a similar manner but it’s the mural that he and Jongdae get frustrated over instead and when the end of the day comes they’re both covered in paint. That doesn’t stop them from taking Minseok and the twins out for dinner with the intention of giving Minseok a bit of a break. Minseok’s eyes flutter open and closed throughout the meal but he forces himself to stay awake and participate in the conversation. He lets Jongdae and Chanyeol feed the boys, though, watching them both closely as they do so. It doesn’t escape Chanyeol’s attention that Minseok barely touches him food.

On Friday morning Chanyeol and Jongdae finish the mural and in the afternoon they go to the supermarket to get all the supplies they’ll need for the party the following day. They end up spending a small fortune but Chanyeol doesn’t really mind. Everything’s finished and he’s excited for everyone to see the product of all their hard work. Jongdae keeps all the food in his car so that he can store it in his fridge at home and prepare whatever he needs to in advance of the party, neither of them trusting Chanyeol’s cooking abilities, but they move everything else into one of the centre’s store rooms. Jongdae disappears into the crèche when it’s time for Chanyeol to go get Minseok with the excuse of wanting to hand out more fliers. Chanyeol rolls his eyes at him, seeing straight through him. He knows his friend well enough to know how incredibly fond he’s grown of the twins.

Minseok doesn’t fall asleep on the ride back to the centre that day like Chanyeol expects him to. Instead he sits ramrod straight in his seat and plays with the frayed edges of his messenger bag. He doesn’t make conversation and Chanyeol doesn’t want to push him.

It’s been a difficult few days with the boys being sick at the beginning of the week and all the drama that had unfolded between them in the wake of the party. Between that and his new job, Minseok has been on exhausted and on edge and Chanyeol is worried.

Because he’s been coughing a lot over the last couple of days, too, and Chanyeol knows the omega is getting ill. There’s an unhealthy sheen to his skin and his cheeks are hollow and the more he looks, the more Chanyeol thinks he looks nothing like the person he had met at the beginning of the summer and it hurts. It hurts because Minseok is falling apart in front of his eyes and he doesn’t know what to do to stop it from happening.

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asks when they’re about ten minutes away from the centre.

“Yeah.” Minseok nods.

“Are you sure?” Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at him.

“No.” Minseok admits after a long pause and his bottom lip wobbles.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” Minseok shakes his head. “I just- I don’t want to go home.”

“Okay.” Chanyeol says and his voice is calm even if his heart is racing. “Do you want me to take you to Yifan’s?”

“I don’t know.” Minseok whispers. “I’m just so _tired_. I want to sleep but I don’t want to go home. I can’t sleep there anymore.”

“Why?” Chanyeol presses.

“I just _can’t_.” Minseok says and he’s shaking.

“Do you want to stay at mine?” Chanyeol offers. “I have a spare room. We can grab some stuff for the boys on the way back from the centre so we don’t even have to go to yours.”

“I don’t have any money.” Minseok twists in his seat so he curled up against the car door and Chanyeol can hear him trying to calm his breathing. “I don’t-.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Chanyeol splits his gaze between Minseok and the road. “I said I’d help you out until you got your first paycheck.”

Minseok starts to sob then and Chanyeol is shocked by the suddenness of it.

“Minseok!” Chanyeol’s eyes widen in alarm. “What’s wrong?

“I’m sorry!” He gasps.

“Talk to me.” Chanyeol demands. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I just want to sleep.” Minseok tells him between sobs. “But I’m so scared. I can’t, Chanyeol, I can’t!”

“Okay.” Chanyeol says and they’re pulling into the community centre’s parking lot. “Okay, it’s okay. We’ll get the boys and go back to mine and then you can sleep, okay? I’ll watch after the boys so you don’t have to worry. You don’t have anything to be scared of. I’ll keep you safe.”

“Okay.” Minseok forces himself to calm down. He wipes at the tears still streaming down his cheeks and his breath catches in his throat. “Thank you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Chanyeol tells him. He switches off the engine of the car and then holds his hand out for Minseok to take. He does so after a moment’s hesitation and Chanyeol can feel him trembling. “You’re tired and you’re sick, it’s okay to be miserable about that.”

“I’m not sick.” Minseok argues but then he coughs so hard his whole body shakes.

Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at him, “really?”

“Really.” Minseok says.

They go get the babies once Minseok’s tears have stopped and Chanyeol forces Jongdae to go to the store with them to get supplies. He’s worried about Minseok and doesn’t want to be left alone with him just in case something happens. Jongdae seems to understand without Chanyeol having to say anything.

Minseok is dead on his feet but he drags himself around the store nonetheless, tripping over nothing and bumping into displays and other people, and Chanyeol makes sure to be within reaching distance at all times. They’re not sure what they need to get and Minseok isn’t much help. It takes a few minutes for them to pry from him what size clothes and diapers the boys wear so they end up going on their phones to search the internet for the other things they might need. They buy more than they’ll probably need for one night, including a couple of toys that they had grabbed out of panic, having no idea how to entertain two babies for what could be hours, but Chanyeol doesn’t mind. He’d rather be over prepared than under.

Jongdae comes back to Chanyeol’s apartment with them, following behind in his own car, and he watches the twins while Minseok follows Chanyeol like a small puppy in the direction of the bedrooms.

“I’ll get you a t-shirt.” Chanyeol says as he ducks into his room. He’s not expecting Minseok to follow him but he does. He sits on the edge of Chanyeol’s bed and watches him dig through his drawers with dull eyes. “Everything I have will be too big for you. Jongdae only tends to leave his pants here for some reason.”

Minseok mumbles something that Chanyeol doesn’t quite catch.

“What was that?” He asks.

Minseok speaks again and Chanyeol thinks he hears, “can I sleep in your bed?”

“You want to sleep in here?” Chanyeol nods and the movement is jerky. “Yeah, sure. If you want.”

A hint of a smile ghosts across Minseok’s face.

It soon becomes clear that his hands are too clumsy to undo any of the buttons on his shirt so Chanyeol crouches in front of him and does them for him and with each one he unbuttons, the more his horror grows.

Because Minseok is so skeletally thin underneath his shirt that it makes Chanyeol feel sick and guilty for not noticing just how skinny he had gotten. His ribs and collarbones protrude from underneath paper thin skin and Chanyeol can see the mesh of fading bruises littering his chest. He pulls the shirt down past Minseok’s shoulders and the bruises continue down his arms and to his wrists and bruises there are still a deep purple.

“Oh, Minseok.” He whispers and his voice shakes and tears well in his eyes.

The omega doesn’t even blink.

Chanyeol is gentle and slow as he helps Minseok out of his trousers and then into one of his t-shirts. It drowns his tiny frame and Chanyeol can’t help but think how young he looks, how fragile and lost.

He eases Minseok back against the pillows and covers him in blankets and he’s asleep before Chanyeol’s even finished pulling them up to his chin. He brushes a hand through Minseok’s hair and presses a quick kiss against his cheek and then he leaves.

“Is he okay?” Jongdae asks him as soon as he steps foot into the living room.

Chanyeol shakes his head and then bursts into tears.

“Hey, come here.” Jongdae instructs in a soft voice. He’s sat on the sofa with the twins by his feet playing with one of their new toys and Chanyeol trips over himself to reach him. He curls into Jongdae’s side and buries his head into the soft fabric of his t-shirt and sobs. Jongdae rubs at his back and whispers, “it’s okay, it’s okay. It’s all going to be okay.”

“He’s so skinny.” Chanyeol chokes out.

“I know.”

“And there are so many bruises!”

“I know.” Jongdae says again.

“God, what are we going to do?”

“Help him.” Jongdae tells him firmly. “We’re going to help him.”

It takes nearly ten minutes for Chanyeol’s tears to stop and for his breathing to return to normal and by then Kyungsoo and Sehun are starting to fuss. They put the bibs on them that Jongdae finds in Minseok’s messenger bag and they sit at the dining table with a twin each balanced on their lap and spoon feed them a jar each of the baby food they had bought at the store. It smells disgusting but Sehun eagerly anticipates every spoonful that Chanyeol feeds him and he can see Kyungsoo doing the same with Jongdae. They follow that with jars of baby dessert that Sehun demolishes and Kyungsoo only gets halfway through before they wipe at their faces and their hands and sit with them on the living room floor and play with them.

It’s exhausting because the twins want their attention at all times and they pout and threaten to cry when either of them look away, even if it’s just for a second, and Chanyeol honestly has no idea how Minseok has coped alone all these months. Sehun clings to Chanyeol and seems the most unsettled without Minseok. Kyungsoo doesn’t mind as much, he’s taken a liking to Jongdae and demands his attention.

Jongdae deals with all the diaper changes and insists that Chanyeol watches so that he knows how to do it but thankfully never makes him do one.

A couple of hours pass and then, just as the boys start to yawn and get grumpy, Minseok appears.

“What are you doing awake?” Jongdae asks, being the first to spot him.

“The twins.” He says and he’s still half asleep. “I need to feed them and bathe them and get them ready for bed. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep.”

“They’ve already had their dinner.” Chanyeol tells him.

“And we were just about to start getting them ready for their bath.” Jongdae adds and Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at him because that definitely hadn’t been a part of his plan. Sure, they had bought one of those baby bath things and a bottle of body wash and a special sponge but Chanyeol had been expecting Minseok to do it in the morning. He doesn’t know the first thing about washing babies. “You can go back to bed. It’s okay, we’ve got everything under control.”

“Oh.” Minseok looks like he doesn’t know what to say for a moment but then he offers them both a small smile, “thank you. For feeding them, I mean. But I should really be the one to bathe them. Kyungsoo hates bath time and Sehun always tries to get water everywhere. I don’t want them making too much of a mess.”

“Don’t you want to sleep some more?” Jongdae asks.

“I’ll go back to bed once they’re sorted.” Minseok says. “I’ll sleep better knowing that they’re okay.”

“If you’re sure.” Chanyeol says.

“Yeah.” Minseok nods.

“Then I’ll go, if that’s okay?” Jongdae asks with a frown. “I’ve still got all that food in my car for the party tomorrow. I’m going to have to see what of the fresh stuff is still good.”

“Party?” Minseok blinks.

“Didn’t I tell you?” Chanyeol asks and Minseok shakes his head. “The garden’s finished. We’re throwing a little opening party tomorrow for all the kids. Are you- do you want to come? It’s okay if you don’t, I can take you home before it starts or drop you at Yifan’s if you want instead.”

“We’ll go.” Minseok tells him, quickly. He takes a deep breath and then gives Chanyeol a small smile. “It’ll be good to celebrate all your hard work.”

The twins notice Minseok then and crawl over to him with smiles on their faces. He beams at them as he picks them up, balancing one on each hip, and he gives them both loud kisses that have them squirming and giggling.

They discuss plans for the following morning before Jongdae leaves. After he’s gone Chanyeol takes both the boys while Minseok unpacks all the different things they’d gotten at the store, frowning over just how much Chanyeol has bought but he doesn’t say anything. It’s obvious that he doesn’t remember any of it and Chanyeol’s not surprised. He’d been more asleep than awake by that point. His face softens, however, when he pulls the two sleepsuits Chanyeol had chosen from the carrier bag, the larger a dark green with foxes on it and the smaller blue with owls.

“These are cute.” He says.

 “Green for Sehun and blue for Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol tells him. “Just like that photo you showed me.”

Minseok smiles at him then and it only grows as he pulls out the matching shirt and short sets they’d gotten for the boys to wear the next day.

“These are really nice, too.” Minseok says. “They look really smart. Thank you.”

Chanyeol doesn’t have a tub so they decide to bathe the babies in the middle of the living room. Chanyeol points Minseok in the direction of the closet where the towels are kept while he snuggles on the sofa with the boys. Minseok returns with a small bale of towels before disappearing into the kitchen with his messenger bag to prepare bottles for when the boys’ baths are done.

Once the bottles are made up, he returns to the living room and sets them on the coffee table, “they’ll be cool enough for the boys to drink once their baths are done.”

There’s another few minutes of preparation and fussing and then the bath is ready.

“Who do you want first?” Chanyeol asks.

“Kyungsoo.” Minseok answers. “He needs longer to settle after a bath than Sehun does.”

Kyungsoo cries the whole way through his bath and doesn’t stop until long after he’s dried and dressed in his new sleepsuit. Once he’s done, Chanyeol cradles him in one arm and feeds him his bottle while Minseok bathes Sehun.

Sehun obviously likes being in the water a lot more than his brother so Minseok lets the bath go on a bit longer than Kyungsoo’s, playing with Sehun and letting him enjoy himself. There are no tears when bath time is over, just yawns as Minseok pats him dry, puts a fresh diaper on him and dresses him in his onesie.

Minseok moves onto the sofa to feed him his bottle and Sehun drifts off before he can finish it. Kyungsoo is already fast asleep, his bottle empty, and Chanyeol’s heart swells with love when he looks at them.

“They’re amazing, aren’t they?” Minseok whispers around a yawn and then a cough.

“They’re perfect, Minseok.” He answers honestly.

Minseok rests his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder, “I guess we should get them to bed.”

“In a minute.” Chanyeol tells him. “I just want to enjoy this moment.”

Minseok doesn’t say anything but Chanyeol thinks he’s smiling.

They put the babies in the middle of Chanyeol’s bed and Minseok crawls in besides them. It’s still early by his standards and neither of them have had dinner but Chanyeol changes into his sleep pants and t-shirt anyway and brushes his teeth. He climbs under the covers on the opposite side of the bed from Minseok so that the twins are in between them and he lays on his side so that he can see the omega’s face through the dark of the room.

“I’m sorry about earlier.” Minseok murmurs.

“It’s okay.” Chanyeol tells him and it is. “You just scared me. I didn’t realise how exhausted you were.”

“I haven’t been able to sleep.”

“You said you were scared.” Chanyeol says and he works hard to keep his voice even. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m being stupid.” Minseok sighs. “I know I am.”

“Then tell me about it. Things sound a lot different when they’re said out loud.”

Even in the dark Chanyeol can see the uncertainty and fear on Minseok’s face, “I keep… Around the apartment building, I keep thinking I can smell-. I swear I can hear him pulling on the door handle during the middle of the night.”

“Who?” Chanyeol asks and he feels a spark a fear ignite in his chest.

Minseok doesn’t say anything.

“Minseok…”  

“I’m tired.” Minseok mumbles at last. “And I don’t want to talk about it.”

Chanyeol wants to argue with him, wants to know the truth, but he’d promised Minseok he’d always stop when he asked him to so instead he lets out a soft sigh, “okay.”

They say their goodnights and it takes only a couple of minutes for Minseok’s breath to even out but Chanyeol finds he can’t drop off, not properly. He’s too conscious of the babies. Every little sniff or snuffle they make drags him out of the doze he’s fallen into and he’s frightened of moving in case he wakes them. He’s even more scared of rolling over in his sleep and smothering them so his mind never shuts down enough for him to fall asleep properly.

His stomach rumbles and he can’t seem to get comfortable. The baby closest to him, he thinks it’s Kyungsoo, wiggles in his sleep and smacks his lips and Chanyeol just can’t tune him out.

The night seems to never end. 

The minutes trickle by and hours seem to take an age to pass. He counts every breath the babies take but it’s not enough to dull his thoughts enough to let him do more than doze.

Minseok wakes every couple of hours either because one of the boys’ breathing has changed, indicating they might be waking up, or with a gasp because he’s had a nightmare. He coughs and sighs and whispers things to the twins that are too quiet for Chanyeol to catch. He gets out of bed a handful of times – twice with Kyungsoo, once with Sehun and then another couple of times to go to the bathroom or to walk around the apartment – and Chanyeol doesn’t give him any indication that he’s awake, too, but he thinks Minseok knows anyway.

It’s just starting to get light outside when Chanyeol finally falls into a deeper sleep and when he wakes a couple of hours later Minseok and the twins are gone. He finds them on the floor of the living room and the boys both have their bibs on and there’s food smeared all over their faces.

“I found a yoghurt in the fridge.” Minseok says. “I hope you don’t mind.”

Chanyeol shakes his head, “not at all. Help yourself to whatever you want, you don’t have to ask.”

“Thank you.” Minseok looks embarrassed and Chanyeol doesn’t really understand why. His friends have never had any problems with helping themselves to his food, even the stuff he’s expressly told them not to touch.

Chanyeol makes two mugs of coffee and a giant stack of toast that he sets on the floor between himself and Minseok. They tear off strips for the babies when they demand them but they soon get bored with food and instead turn their attention to the toys still littered across the floor.

They look adorable in their onesies and with their hair sticking up in a hundred different directions and, looking at them now, Chanyeol wonders how he could have ever been angry or upset about them. They’re hard work even now when they’re playing because they still want Minseok’s attention or approval or for him or Chanyeol to play with them but he still feels a burst of warmth deep in the pit of his stomach whenever one of them laughs or smiles.

Chanyeol has a bowl of cereal once they’re done with the toast and he encourages Minseok to eat one, too, but the omega turns him down.

It’s a lazy morning that Chanyeol finds himself really enjoying. Minseok is all smiles and loose limbs and he seems so much more relaxed than he had been the day before. The twins are chirpy, too, and that just boosts Chanyeol’s good mood despite his poor night’s sleep.

At about ten Minseok goes for a shower. He changes back into his boxers and Chanyeol’s t-shirt once he’s finished as Jongdae had promised to be bring him some clean clothes from his place. Chanyeol goes for a shower afterwards and when he emerges from his room dressed in a nice pair of jeans and one of his favourite t-shirts he finds Minseok engaged in a tickle war with a half-dressed Sehun while Kyungsoo, wearing only his diaper, attempts to make a speedy get away.

Chanyeol grabs him before he can make it all the way to the kitchen and Kyungsoo lets out a loud squeal as Chanyeol throws him up into the air.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He asks and he blows a raspberry on Kyungsoo’s tummy.

Kyungsoo screams in delight before descending into giggles as Chanyeol tickles him mercilessly. He wanders back over to Minseok and Sehun by the sofa as he does so, not letting up for even a second even if Kyungsoo squirms and wriggles.

“It looks like you had an escapee.” He says. “Luckily, I managed to detain him before he could get too far.”

Minseok bats his eyelashes at him and pretends to swoon, “my hero.”

“It’s all in a day’s work.” Chanyeol tells him and he tries to keep a straight face but Kyungsoo sticks his tongue out at him and grabs at his face and he can’t help but smile.

Minseok’s pulling Sehun’s shorts on over his diaper when he asks, “what time is Jongdae supposed to get here?”

Chanyeol squints at his watch through Kyungsoo’s fingers, “about ten minutes ago.”

There’s a knocking at his door then which makes Minseok jump. Sehun makes an unhappy noise at being jostled and Minseok pulls him onto his lap and presses a quick kiss into his hair in apology.

“That’ll be him now.” Chanyeol tells him.

He answers the door with Kyungsoo still in his arms, the baby now laying on his back and kicking his feet and flailing his fists and laughing manically, but it’s not Jongdae on the other side.

“Jongin! What are you doing here?” Chanyeol moves to the side to let him in. “I thought we were meeting you at the centre?”

“Jongdae’s on a rampage.” Jongin tells him with a roll of his eyes. “I managed to get away but Baekhyun wasn’t so lucky.”

“He deserves whatever he has coming to him.” Chanyeol snorts and Jongin laughs.

“Who is this then?” Jongin coos, a smile tugging at his lips.

“This is Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol says and he rights the baby so Jongin can see him better. “Isn’t he cute?”

Jongin tickles him under the chin and earns himself a giggle in return, “he’s downright adorable.”

They walk further back into the living room and Jongin gives Minseok a little wave and holds up the bag he’s carrying, “Jongdae packed some clothes for you.”

Minseok stands, Sehun still in his arms, and offers Jongin a small smile that falters as the alpha looks him up and down, taking in the bare skin of his legs and his arms. Chanyeol notices Jongin’s gaze and elbows him in the stomach.  

“I should get dressed.” Minseok says after a short pause and he looks uncomfortable. “Let me take Kyungsoo and I’ll get him ready at the same time.”

Jongin passes him the bag and Minseok lifts Kyungsoo from Chanyeol’s arms and they both watch him as he walks across the living room and disappears into Chanyeol’s bedroom.

“What was that about?” Chanyeol demands as soon as the door is closed.

“Sorry.” Jongin says. “I just saw the bruises and, shit, he’s so skinny, Yeol!”

“I know.” Chanyeol frowns. “I know, just don’t look at him like that, okay?”

“I’m sorry.” Jongin says again. “I won’t. It was just the shock, I couldn’t help myself.”

Chanyeol sighs, “yeah, I know what you mean. He’s always been too thin but when- I don’t know how it got so bad. He looks _sick_.”

“Then we’ll just have to keep an eye on him and make sure he gets better.” Jongin says, his voice full of determination and his expression earnest.

Chanyeol feels a surge of warmth shoot through him and he throws an arm around Jongin’s shoulder and pulls him closer, “yeah, yeah we are.”

Jongin pulls a face and tries to wriggle free but Chanyeol just tightens his hold on him. There’s a split second where they both stand shock still and look at each other, daring the other to make a move, and then Jongin smirks. His arms come up to wrap themselves around Chanyeol’s waist and he twists and squirms and tries to knock the other alpha off balance. Chanyeol’s prepared for this – it’s one of Jongin’s regular tactics – so he moves quickly to get the younger into a headlock. Jongin sees it coming and throws himself at him and they both go crashing to the floor.

They grunt and swear as they wrestle for control, their facial expressions fierce, and neither of them hold back even as they knock into the coffee table and send its contents flying.

“Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol freezes and looks up to see a now dressed Minseok standing by the sofa, his eyes wide and his face white, with Kyungsoo in his arms. His grip on Kyungsoo is too tight and the baby makes a face as he tries to get loose. Chanyeol can see, even with the distance between them, that he’s seconds away from tears.

“We’re just playing.” Chanyeol reassures him quickly, trying to untangle his long limbs from Jongin’s. “That’s all. We’re just playing, I promise.”

“Okay.” Minseok breathes and his hold on Kyungsoo relaxes as some of the tension leaks from his body. “Okay. I just… I didn’t bring the clothes in for Kyungsoo.”

Chanyeol scrambles to his feet and plucks the shorts and shirt set from the sofa. He passes them to Minseok, “here.”

“Thanks.” Minseok says and he doesn’t quite meet Chanyeol’s eyes as he accepts the clothes from him. “I’ll just be a couple of minutes.”

“Okay, no rush.” Chanyeol forces himself to smile at him and keep his voice light. “Do you want me to keep Sehun occupied?”

“No.” Minseok shakes his head. “It’s fine, don’t worry. We’ll be quick.”

The smile slides from Chanyeol’s face as he watches Minseok nearly run back into the bedroom.

“Shit.” Jongin says as soon as the door is closed. “We scared him, didn’t we?”

“There’s something going on.” Chanyeol tells him. “He won’t talk to me about it. It’s got him on edge and making it so he can’t sleep.”

“The new job maybe?” Jongin shrugs. “Has he said how it’s going? How the other staff are treating him?”

“No.” Chanyeol runs a hand through his hair. “But I haven’t asked him or pushed him to talk about work too much. I’m trying not to push him to do anything. He’s had too many people forcing what they want onto him – me included – and I don’t want him to think he doesn’t have a choice. He needs to know that he can say no to me and I’m not going to be mad about it or hurt him for it.”

“That doesn’t stop you asking.” Jongin points out. “You need to give him the opportunity to say no. You’re just going to get yourselves into another mess if you don’t…”

“If I don’t what?”

Jongin lets out a long sigh before he continues, “look, I know you’re trying and I know you have the best intentions a lot of the time, Chanyeol, but you fuck up. A lot. I swear, you’re about as emotionally aware as a sack of potatoes.”

“Hey!”

“You’re better than Baekhyun,” Jongin tells him as if this is meant to make him feel better, “but not by much. And I know you’ll want to do what’s best for Minseok because you love him but you need to talk to him, too. You won’t know half of the shit he’s been through so you can’t just assume that what you think is best is what he actually needs. You’re going to have to teach him that it’s okay for him to set boundaries and show him that you’ll respect whatever he says but you need to talk about it first. You won’t get anywhere if he doesn’t know you’re not going to get mad if he tells you what he wants and doesn’t want.”

There’s a long moment of silence then as Chanyeol lets the younger’s words sink in. Eventually he speaks, “Jongin?”

“Yeah?”

“When did you grow up?”

Jongin snorts, “when you weren’t looking. Obviously.”    

Minseok re-emerges then with a fully dressed twin in each arm. He’s regained some of the colour back in his face and he looks a bit more steady and certain. He gives them both small smiles and lets Chanyeol take Kyungsoo when the baby holds his arms out for him.

They spend the next few minutes packing up a lot of the baby stuff for Minseok to take home with him – the packs of diapers, extra food, yesterday’s dirty clothes and the sleepsuits – and then storing everything else in the spare room.

Chanyeol calls Jongdae as they head out of the apartment and it takes the beta longer than expected to answer.

“What’s up, Chanyeol?” Jongdae asks and he sounds distracted.

“We’re just leaving mine.” He tells him as he locks the door behind them. “Do you want us to grab anything from the store on the way over?”

“Napkins.” Jongdae says. “And plastic cups.”

“Anything else?”

“I don’t know. More soda? Snacks?” Jongdae sighs and Chanyeol can almost see him running his hand through his hair and biting his bottom lip. “We have no idea how many people are going to show up to this thing. If anyone does.”

“It’ll be fine.” Chanyeol assures him. “People will come but even if they don’t then there’s always the crèche or the day centre to dump all the snacks.”

“I know, I know. It’ll be okay, I’m just stressing.” Chanyeol hears Baekhyun shout something in the background and Jongdae telling him to shut up before continuing. “Just be quick, okay? There’s still a tonne to do.”

“We will be. See you guys in about an hour.” Chanyeol hangs up and he shares a grin with Jongin. “He’s about to have a meltdown.”

Jongin laughs, “sucks to be Baekhyun right about now.”

“He’s probably what’s going to push Jongdae over the edge.” Chanyeol tells him as they step into the elevator. “God rest his soul.”

“Is Jongdae okay?” Minseok asks.

“Oh, yeah, he’s fine. He just gets way too worked up.” Chanyeol responds with an easy shrug. “He’s always like this with anything he’s organised, though, it’s nothing to be worried about.”

“He nearly started sobbing when the store didn’t have the flavour chips he wanted for a party a couple of years ago.” Jongin turns to Chanyeol, “was that for Joonmyun’s birthday?”

Chanyeol nods, “oh god, yeah. That was a near disaster. Joonmyun- he’s not coming today. Did you know?”

“Yeah, Jongdae said. He’s got some lunch he has to go to? Jongdae’s going to meet him after the party for dinner, I think.”

“He just wants to avoid clearing up.” Chanyeol mutters and the elevator doors ping open.

They dump the carrier stuffed with baby things in the trunk with the stroller and Minseok and Chanyeol strap Kyungsoo and Sehun into their seats. Minseok climbs into the back once they’re done and sits in the tiny space between the two bulky car seats. Jongin sits in the front passenger seat and immediately plugs his phone into the aux cord. He plays a series of upbeat songs as they drive that Chanyeol knows well enough to sing along to and the twins wave their arms and nod their heads to the music.

They go a bit out of their way so that they can go to one of the super stores to grab supplies. Once there Chanyeol and Jongin fill a cart with boxes of soda and bags of chips and candy while Minseok disappears with the twins to go get them sun cream and hats, if he can find any. They meet at the registers and Chanyeol takes Sehun as Minseok counts the money in his wallet.

“I can get that stuff.” Chanyeol tells him. “It’s not a problem.”

And it’s not because all Minseok has is a small tube of the store’s own brand kid’s sun cream, a pack of cheap looking pacifiers and a couple of discounted baby-sized bucket hats that already look a bit tatty and worn despite still being up for sale.

“No, it’s okay, I have the money.” Minseok says and Kyungsoo tries to pull the notes from his hands.

“You still need to be able to afford to eat.” Chanyeol argues. “All three of you.”

“The boys always have enough to eat.” Minseok shoots back and he suddenly looks fierce. “Always. I’d never let them go hungry. Not even if it meant I-. They always have enough.”

“And what about you?” Jongin asks, matching his tone to Minseok’s. “You’re no good to the twins if you starve yourself to death. Because that’s what’s happening, isn’t it?”

“Jongin!” Chanyeol scolds as Minseok’s cheeks flush red.

“You don’t understand.”

“What don’t I understand?” Jongin asks. “You want to make sure your kids don’t go hungry and that’s great. I get that. And I get that you’ve probably skipped more than a handful of meals so that they’ve got enough but what’s the point in not letting Chanyeol help you? I’m not trying to be an asshole but he has more money than he knows what to do with. Why punish yourself when he’s offering to help? It’s not worth it.”

Minseok opens his mouth to respond but thinks better of whatever he was going to say. He stuffs the pitiful number of notes he has back into his wallet, and out of Kyungsoo’s reach, “fine.”

Chanyeol pays while Jongin loads everything back into the cart and Minseok watches them with a blank expression.

“Don’t sulk.” Jongin tells him, his lips twisted into a half smile. “Chanyeol’s more than used to paying. We always make him pick up the bill unless Joonmyun’s around and we’re all a lot better off than you.”

“You need to get new friends, Chanyeol.” Minseok says with a small huff.

Jongin laughs and Chanyeol can feel the tension between the two of them ebb away.

“I’ve been trying, believe me.” He says. “But these guys are hard to get rid of.”

“We know where he lives.” Jongin shrugs. “And at least two of us have keys to his apartment.”

“Two?” Chanyeol’s eyebrows nearly disappear into his hairline. “I thought-. Never mind. I don’t want to know, do I?”

“Probably not.”

The drive to the centre isn’t as relaxed as the one to the store but Chanyeol puts that down to Kyungsoo starting to fidget and fuss and Sehun tearing up when Minseok won’t unstrap him from his seat and hold him on his lap instead.

Jongin calls Jongdae as they get close and he and Baekhyun meet them in the parking lot to help them carry everything they’ve just bought inside. Jongdae, as expected, looks stressed, his hair on end and his forehead furrowed, but he still has smiles for Minseok and the twins.

Kyungsoo holds his arms out for him immediately and Jongdae takes him from Minseok, “hey there, little guy. Did you miss me?”

“So these are the babies.” Baekhyun says and he doesn’t sound impressed. “They’re kind of cute, I guess.”

Minseok shoots Chanyeol a look and cuddles Sehun closer, “thanks?”

“Ignore him.” Jongin says.

“You guys keep telling me that.” Minseok quirks an eyebrow at him. “But you never seem to follow your own advice.”

Jongin snorts while Jongdae and Chanyeol laugh.

Baekhyun looks offended, “excuse me, I’ll have you know I’m a very difficult person to ignore.”

“It’s his voice.” Chanyeol grins.

Jongdae nods, “it has a certain shrillness to it.”

“Too much of it and it’ll make your ears bleed.” Jongin adds.

Baekhyun’s bottom lip wobbles but Chanyeol knows him well enough to see straight through his act, “I am shocked and offended that you would say such hurtful things. I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now.”

“Good.” Jongdae says. “You’ve been a pain in the ass all morning, it’s about time you got a bit of payback.”

Chanyeol sets up the stroller and then leaves Minseok and Jongdae to strap the boys in while he, Baekhyun and Jongin start to carry things in. The room closest to the garden, one of the rooms used for classes during the week, has been commandeered for the party. The tables have already been pushed back against the walls and food and drinks set out and Chanyeol understands now why Jongdae had been worried about needing more: there’s a lot of table space but it’s hardly full. They add the new stuff to what’s already there and it starts to look better, as if they’re ready for the neighbourhood to descend on them.

Chanyeol finds Minseok in the garden once they’re done unloading the car. He’s sat on a blanket under a parasol set up on the corner of the grass closest to the shed. The boys are still in the stroller, parked in the shade of the parasol, but they have their bibs on and Minseok is spooning food into their mouths from one of the jars Chanyeol had bought yesterday. He looks relaxed, Chanyeol thinks, like a completely different person to the one who had been crying in his car yesterday afternoon.

“Sorry.” Minseok says when he sees Chanyeol watching him. “It’s past their lunchtime and they were starting to get grumpy. They should settle down for a nap once they’re finished eating and then I can come help.”

“It’s fine.” Chanyeol smiles and he settles down onto the blanket next to the omega. “Jongdae’s on the warpath so it’s probably for the best that you’re out here. He can get pretty scary.”

Minseok lets out a small laugh, “I can imagine.”

“I’m sorry about Baekhyun.” Chanyeol says after a small pause. “He’s an asshole but he’s a good person, too, when he wants to be.”

“It’s okay.” Minseok shrugs.

“And I’m sorry for Jongin, too.” Chanyeol shakes his head. “He’s not usually so… _blunt_. Or, well, maybe he is but it’s only really when he’s around Baekhyun. They bring out the worst in each other, I swear. But he’s a good kid, his heart is in the right place.”

“I know.” Minseok says as he spoons food into Kyungsoo’s waiting mouth and some of the tension creeps back into his shoulders. “I just… I’m not used to people spending money on me or the boys without wanting something in return, I guess. Yifan’s the only person who- I trust him to not expect anything from me.”

“You don’t trust me?” Chanyeol asks and he’s hurt.

“I’m trying.” Minseok tells him. “I not used to- I’m learning, okay? I know I should be able to, after everything you’ve done for me, but it’s _hard_. The boys’ dad, he- he always wanted something. When I was at school and he helped me with my homework, he’d always want me to do _things_ for him in return. And then when we moved to the city, if I needed money for groceries or to buy new clothes for work then he’d want me in return and I thought it was _normal_. I know that’s messed up, I know that now, Yifan and Zitao and Yixing and Luhan- they’ve all tried so hard to show me but… I was so naïve and stupid and in such a mess after _he_ left. I let alphas help me and they pretended to be kind and genuine and I _believed_ them. I believed them and I was such an idiot because as soon as we got somewhere private they’d expect me on my back with legs spread and I… With Ji- Jihoon, too. But… Sex is never going to- he wants… He wants to own me.”

Minseok’s shaking even as he continues to feed the babies and Chanyeol _hurts_.

“I don’t want to own you.” He tells Minseok. “I want my scent on you but I want to smell yours on me, too. I want you to be happy and healthy and for us to be together as equals. I want you to feel comfortable enough to tell me that I’m being dumb or that you want or need something. I love you, Minseok. I would give you everything I owned if it meant you would be happy.”

Minseok forces himself to smile, “Chanyeol?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re being dumb.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want the things you own or your money.” Minseok’s expression softens into something more genuine. “I just want you.”

“Then you can have me.” Chanyeol tells him and he can’t help the smile that lights up his face. “For as long as you want me.”

“Even if that’s forever?” Minseok asks almost shyly.

Chanyeol’s heart starts to race and then they’re leaning into one another, “even if that’s forever.”

Their lips are centimetres away when Sehun lets out an indignant squawk at being ignored and Minseok pulls away, his cheeks pink.

“I’m sorry, baby.” Minseok says as he feeds Sehun another mouthful. Minseok’s hand is still shaking but it’s better now, more steady. “I shouldn’t be letting myself get distracted when you’re still so hungry. Daddy is so silly sometimes.”

“I’m sorry, Sehun.” Chanyeol brushes his hand over the soft hair on the baby’s head before doing the same to Kyungsoo. The older twin is half asleep already and he dodges the spoon of food Minseok offers him, letting out a tired grumble. “Someone’s sleepy.”

“He’ll be out in a minute.” Minseok tells him with a fond smile. “Just watch.”

Sure enough Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter closed and he shuffles in the stroller to get himself comfortable and then he’s fast asleep.

Sehun yawns around the last few mouthfuls left in the jar but he doesn’t seem as ready to drop off as his brother. He fusses and threatens to cry until Minseok gets him out of the stroller and cradles him in his arms, rocking him gently.

Sehun continues to fight the pull of sleep but his protests get weaker as the minutes pass and Minseok continues to rock him. Eventually, he falls asleep.

“He’s stubborn.” Chanyeol murmurs.

“Kyungsoo’s worse.” Minseok tells him. “He’s just better at picking his battles than Sehun.”

He’s gentle as he sets Sehun back into the stroller and does the fastenings and the baby doesn’t stir.

There isn’t much time until the party is due to start, only about half an hour, so they help Jongdae blow balloons and tie them to the arms of the benches while Baekhyun and Jongin move a couple of coolers with cans of soda out into the garden. Speakers have already been set up and Jongdae plugs his iPod in just as the first people begin to arrive.

Chanyeol doesn’t think he stops smiling all afternoon.

It all goes by so quickly. There are more children than Chanyeol can keep track of and they smile and laugh and scream in delight at the garden and all the new toys they have to play with. They clamber over the climbing frame and take turns on the swings and Chanyeol’s heart swells at the pure joy on their faces.

He has his hand shaken by so many of the parents and the staff from the centre and he’s just so happy because all of their hard work has paid off. The children love it and there’s a real sense of relief and gratefulness that he picks up from their parents because now their children have somewhere safe that they can play.

He spends as much time as he can with Minseok and the babies once they wake from their nap. Minseok smothers them in sun cream and put their new hats on and swap their pacifiers for the new ones and they crawl around the blanket and put themselves at the mercy of Minseok and Chanyeol’s tickling fingers. Older children come to play with them every now and then and Kyungsoo is happy to go along with their games. Sehun is more cautious, spends more time clinging to Minseok at first, but he opens up as the afternoon progresses.

The others come to join them about halfway through with cans of soda and overflowing plates. They sit around in a circle with the food in the middle and the twins get given whatever they demand from everyone they demand it from. Kyungsoo sits on Jongdae’s crossed legs and gets crumbs and sauce all over his jeans but Jongdae just laughs it off. Sehun gets over his initial shyness to take turns in spending time with each one of them but he seems especially taken with Jongin. The young alpha helps him onto his feet and holds his hands as he takes unsteady steps and Chanyeol feels so light and happy because his friends know about Minseok and the babies and _they’re okay with it_. Jongin and Baekhyun treat Minseok as if he’s always been part of their friendship group – which, of course, means they tease him – and while Minseok struggles at first to keep up with their banter and see it for what it is, he soon gets comfortable enough to shoot back replies that have them all laughing.

And it’s great. It’s such a fantastic afternoon and Chanyeol loves every minute of it but there’s a small part of him that misses Joonmyun, that wishes he was there with them to enjoy the realisation of all their hard work. He knows it’s for the best, though. Joonmyun cares a lot about his parents’ company and would do anything to make his mom happy so it’s better for him to have gone to the lunch. Besides, Chanyeol has no idea how things stand between Joonmyun and Minseok and it would have been a shame to ruin such a good day with tension like that if they still weren’t getting on.

Jongdae leaves at about half five to go meet Joonmyun for dinner and it’s not much longer after that that people start to disperse. The four of them start to tidy everything up while the twins are distracted with some building blocks that Jongin has borrowed from the crèche for them. They start to get restless after a little while, however, and crawl away from the safety of the blanket and get under the feet of the remaining guests. Minseok tries to keep an eye on them as much as he can but he’s exhausted by then and his chest is sounding as bad as Chanyeol has ever heard it. He’s desperate to be as much help as he possibly can be but it’s difficult when the twins are set on being everywhere at once.

Naturally, one of them gets stood on.

Chanyeol doesn’t realise what’s happened until Kyungsoo is crying and Minseok is already halfway across the garden to go see to him. He lifts the baby into his arms and takes the hand that has been stepped on in his own and inspects it.

“You’re okay, aren’t you, ‘Soo?” Minseok asks and he shoots the little girl who had been the one to step on him a reassuring smile. “You’re just fine, aren’t you? Look, there’s not even a mark.”

Chanyeol grabs Sehun to stop him from crawling into the path of another kid running across the grass and wanders over to Minseok.

“Is he okay?” He asks.

“He’s fine.” Minseok tells him and he presses a quick kiss to Kyungsoo’s hand before continuing to rub at it. “It’s probably just the shock of getting hurt rather than the being hurt itself.”

“Good.” Chanyeol smiles. “Do you want to head off? Jongin and Baekhyun can finish clearing up.”

“We should probably stay to help them.”

Chanyeol shrugs, “they want to take credit for the garden so they might as well do some of the work.” 

“If you’re sure.” Minseok says. “I should probably get the boys home. They’ve had quite a lot of excitement today so it might take them a while to wind down.”

“Are you sure you want to go home?” Chanyeol asks. “You guys are more than welcome to stay at mine another night.”

“Thank you.” Minseok says. “But it’s okay. We can’t avoid going back forever.”

They say their goodbyes to Jongin and Baekhyun and Chanyeol rolls his eyes at their whining and promises to make it up to them by buying beers the following weekend. Sehun has a cuddle with Jongin before they leave and Baekhyun tickles at their chins and even though Kyungsoo is still hiccupping and sniffing, the day ends on a high note.

The songs on the radio that play on the drive to Minseok’s apartment are ones that they both know. They sing along and share smiles and Chanyeol swears he falls a little bit more in love with Minseok every time their eyes meet. 

He helps set up the stroller and buckle the boys in before hanging the bag of baby things from his apartment on one of the handles.

“Thank you.” Minseok says once they’re finished. “For today. I’ve had a really good time and I know the boys have enjoyed themselves, too.”

“It’s okay.” Chanyeol tells him. “I’ve had a really great day, too.”

“The garden looks amazing. You should be really proud of yourself- it’s going to make so many children happy for years to come.” Minseok offers him a warm smile. “I’m proud of you.”

Chanyeol blushes and ducks his head, “thanks.”

Minseok kisses him and Chanyeol melts into the feeling of Minseok’s lips on his, even if it is only fleeting.

He waits until Minseok and the babies disappear into the apartment building before getting back into his car. He does his seatbelt and starts the engine but he doesn’t set off. They’ve fallen into the routine over the past week of waving goodbye and he’s eager to keep it up, always wanting to see Minseok just that one last time. So he settles back in his seat, watches the window for Minseok to appear and he waits.

And he waits.

And waits.

Five minutes soon turn into ten and a sense of unease ripples through him.

Another couple of minutes trickle by and Minseok still hasn’t appeared. There’s something in him that’s telling him there’s something wrong but he tries to push it down. Surely Minseok’s just forgotten. He’s tired and sick and he’s just forgotten. Or maybe one of the boys has thrown a tantrum or the elevator is out of order or _something_.

He tries calling Minseok’s phone but it rings out without anyone answering.

The feeling of something being wrong grows and he can’t ignore it. Not anymore.

He shuts off the engine, gets out of the car and walks into the building with a hundred different scenarios running through his head. He hopes it’s just something simple. He hopes that Minseok has gotten distracted and that he’s just being paranoid, that they can laugh this whole thing off.

He takes the elevator up to the third floor.

His feet feel like lead as walks down the corridor to Minseok’s apartment and his heart is pumping painfully quick. His hands are sweaty and the feeling of _wrong, wrong, wrong_ is just getting stronger and stronger.

Minseok’s door is closed but Chanyeol can still hear the babies screaming on the other side. But there’s something else, too, a deep voice that Chanyeol doesn’t quite recognise.

He bangs on the door, “Minseok? Minseok are you okay?”

The twins continue to scream and shriek but there’s no response. Chanyeol listens hard and he can hear someone gasping for breath and the sounds of a struggle.

“Minseok?” He shouts and he twists the door handle but it’s locked. He starts to panic. “Minseok?!”

Then he hears Minseok call his name and his heart plummets as his mind goes blank.

He needs to get inside the apartment.

He throws himself at the door shoulder first and wood shudders from the impact but it doesn’t give. He tries again and again and the wood around the lock begins to splinter and crack. He keeps on going even though his shoulder aches and finally the door crashes open.

Chanyeol freezes in the doorway and horror wells in his chest.

The stroller is on its side with the babies still in it and their faces are red from all their screaming. The straps are the only thing keeping them from falling to the floor but they’re obviously hurting them, Kyungsoo especially as his end of the stroller is the one in the air. There’s blood on Sehun’s face and Chanyeol doesn’t know where it’s coming from, doesn’t have the chance to look because, because…

Because there’s a metal bar the length of his forearm at his feet and one of the ends is dripping blood and Minseok-.

Minseok is on his back and he’s kicking his heels into floor but it’s weak and seems more out of reflex than a genuine attempt to get away. There’s blood on the floor and streaming down half of his face and he’s trying to pull at the hands around his throat but one of his arms is bent at a sickening angle a couple of inches above his wrist and the other is just not strong enough to do anything but claw at the hands choking him.

And Jihoon is on top of him, pinning him to the floor, and there’s sweat on his face and a wild look in his eyes as he grunts and whispers.

And his hands are yanking at the waistband of Minseok’s trousers, trying to pull them down passed his hips.

And Chanyeol-.

Chanyeol sees red.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments and kudos on the last chapter. They've really helped me writing this chapter so a massive thank you. 
> 
> There's one more chapter left after this one which will then be followed by an epilogue. I'm already thinking about (and distracting myself with) another fic... I have to finish this one first though! It's officially the longest thing I have ever written.
> 
> Lily, my lovely, thank you<3

Chanyeol doesn’t even think.

He leaps across the room and grabs handfuls of Jihoon’s t-shirt and yanks him from Minseok. He swings for him as Jihoon staggers to his feet but he somehow manages to dodge the blow.

They glare at each other, deep growls emitting from both of their chests, and then, without any kind of warning, Jihoon launches himself at Chanyeol.

The other alpha’s weight is enough to knock Chanyeol to the floor but he makes sure to drag Jihoon down, too. He lands a punch on his cheek and Chanyeol gets one in return in the chest and it’s enough to wind him and distract him long enough to allow Jihoon to flip their positions. Chanyeol bucks under his weight, tries to dislodge him, but he’s too heavy.

Jihoon’s mouth is twisted into a cruel sneer and spittle flies from his lips as he snarls, “that omega belongs to me.”

“No.” Chanyeol spits out and he meets Jihoon’s gaze, sees the wild fury and the madness in his eyes. “He doesn’t belong to you. He doesn’t belong to anyone.”

Jihoon punches him in the face and Chanyeol tastes blood. His head snaps to the side as he is hit for a second time and out of the corner of his eye he sees it: the metal bar.

He reaches for it even as he twists out of the way of a third punch. He stretches and his fingers graze the cool metal and then…

And then he has it in his hand and he’s swinging it through the air with as much force as he can manage. There’s a sickening _crack_ as it comes into contact with the side of Jihoon’s head.

Jihoon’s body crumples and Chanyeol kicks the dead weight off of him.

He doesn’t check to see if he’s just out cold or if he’s… if he’s _killed him_. He scrabbles to his feet and looks around at the chaos of the apartment as his chest heaves.

His eyes land on Minseok.

He’s pulled himself over to the stroller and he’s trying to right it but his movements are jerky and uncoordinated and Chanyeol’s stomach lurches.

He staggers over to him and drops onto his knees by his side. Chanyeol is slow and gentle as he sets the stroller back onto all four wheels and he runs his shaking hands over the babies’ heads, trying to comfort them. They’re still screaming and their voices are hoarse and Chanyeol’s worried that they’re seriously hurt even if there are no obvious signs of injury. None except the small cut above Sehun’s left eyebrow. It’s bleeding but it’s already starting to slow and Chanyeol’s relieved. The trails of bright red staining his face are horrifying.

He’s just a baby.

“Are-?” Minseok chokes out and his eyes are fluttering and Chanyeol can see one of his pupils is blown.

“They’re okay.” Chanyeol reassures him quickly and he hopes he’s not lying. “They’re fine.”

The gash on Minseok’s hairline is still gushing blood and his arm is so obviously broken but he still tries to reach for his sons, tries to make sure they’re okay.

“I’ve got them.” Chanyeol tells him. “I’ve got them. They’re okay. I’ve got them.”

Minseok’s turns to look at him and Chanyeol is almost certain he can see the question in his eyes: _do you promise?_

“I swear to you, Minseok, I will make sure they’re okay.”

Minseok’s gaze returns to the babies before he lets his eyes slip shut.

They don’t reopen.

“Minseok?!” Chanyeol shouts and panic, hot and intense, surges through him. He grabs his shoulders and shakes them but Minseok doesn’t stir. “Minseok? Fuck, Minseok!”

He needs to get him to the hospital- the babies, too. He needs to get them out of there in case Jihoon wakes up. He needs to… He has to do _something_.

His body moves as if on autopilot.

He stands and lifts Minseok’s limp body into his arms. He’s as gentle as he can be as he positions him so he’s hanging over one of Chanyeol’s shoulders and he supports him with one hand as he uses the other to grab the handle of the stroller. The bag of baby supplies is on the floor, its contents spilled everywhere, at least one of the jars of baby food smashed, and he doesn’t stop to pick any of it up.

He just wants to get them away.

He needs to get them away.

Now, they need to go.

He catches the rise and fall of Jihoon’s chest as he kicks him out of the way of the stroller and he feels a strange mixture of relief and disappointment bubble in his chest. He doesn’t stop to think about what that means though, he just keeps on going.

It’s difficult getting Minseok into the car and he accidentally knocks his broken arm on the door as he tries to fold him into the front seat but Minseok doesn’t even stir.

Kyungsoo howls as he is strapped into his seat and his tiny fists bounce off Chanyeol’s sore face as he lashes out and Chanyeol does what he can to soothe him. Sehun sniffles and sobs and his eyes are wide in confusion but he doesn’t struggle and Chanyeol hopes that he’s just in shock, that the cut is just that. A cut. He hopes and he prays that he’s okay.

Chanyeol starts to shake once there’s some distance between them and the apartment, the adrenaline of the situation wearing off. Tears blur his vision and a sob bubbles in his throat but he doesn’t let himself break down. Not yet.

Not when Minseok needs him.

Not when Kyungsoo and Sehun need him, too.

He knows he has to be strong.

But he knows, too, that he needs help. He can’t do this alone.

He doesn’t think as he pulls his phone from his pocket.

“Chanyeol?”

But the familiar voice breaks down his defences, makes tears spill down his cheeks, and he gasps around a sob, “hyung!”

“Chanyeol, what’s wrong?” Joonmyun asks and Chanyeol can hear the worry in his voice.

“Hyung!” He wheezes. “Hyung, please. I need your help.”

“What’s happened? Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay, I’m fine.” Chanyeol tells him but he’s finding it hard to breathe.

“I can hear babies crying. Chanyeol, what’s going on? Is Minseok okay?”

“No.” Chanyeol admits and he doesn’t even think about what Joonmyun has said, doesn’t realise what it means. “No, he’s not. He’s hurt and the babies- the babies…”

“How bad is it?”

“I don’t know.” Chanyeol sobs. “I don’t know!”

“Chanyeol.” Joonmyun snaps, his voice hard. “You need to calm down, okay? You’re not going to help anyone like this.”

“Okay.” Chanyeol takes a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m sorry- I just. I’m on the way to the hospital. Will you-?”

“Of course.” Joonmyun says and his tone is softer now, more comforting. “Of course I will. Jongdae’s with me, okay? We’ll meet you at the hospital.”

“Thank you.” Chanyeol murmurs and relief blooms in his chest.

“Everything’s going to be okay.” Joonmyun tells him before he hangs up and Chanyeol tries to believe him.

Joonmyun and Jongdae are already at the hospital by the time they get there and Chanyeol swings into the empty spot next to Joonmyun’s black sports car, barely missing hitting it by inches as he misjudges the angle.

Jongdae is yanking one of the backdoors open before Chanyeol can even unfasten his seatbelt.

“Oh, Sehun.” He whispers and Chanyeol can hear the horror in his voice. “What happened? Is he okay?”

“I don’t know.” Chanyeol tells him and his voice wobbles. He stumbles as he pulls himself out of the car. “I think he hit his head. There’s a cut and blood but I don’t think- I don’t know.”

“Okay, okay. I’ve got him.” Jongdae says and he lifts Sehun from the car seat. The baby immediately lays his head on Jongdae’s shoulder and balls his fists into his t-shirt. He’s sobbing still but it’s obvious he’s exhausted. Jongdae rubs at his back and plants a kiss on the top of his head as he sways on his feet, trying to comfort him. “Poor little guy, I’ve got you. I’ll make sure you’re okay.”

Chanyeol reaches the passenger side of the car just as Joonmyun does.

“The other baby..?” He asks and his eyes linger on the bruises forming on Chanyeol’s face.

“I don’t know how bad he’s hurt.” Chanyeol says and he pulls the front door open. “I didn’t check. I just needed to get us away.”

“Okay, I’ll get him.” Joonmyun nods and the colour drains from his face as he catches sight of Minseok, sees all the blood and his broken arm. The bruises blooming around his throat. “Oh god, is he..?”

“He passed out.” Chanyeol explains. “The bastard hit him with a metal bar or something.”

“Shit.” Jongdae hisses. “Who-?”

“Jihoon.”

“Oh, fuck. That-!”

“Who?” Joonmyun asks.

“The restaurant owner.” Jongdae fumes. “I- oh, god. I’m going to kill him. I swear, that fucker, I’m going to-.”

“We can talk about this later.” Joonmyun cuts him off. “Let’s get them inside.”

Joonmyun picks up Kyungsoo and cuddles him to his chest. He’s not crying anymore, not like Sehun, but his face is screwed up into a scowl that doesn’t soften even with Joonmyun rubbing circles on his back.

Chanyeol struggles to get Minseok out of the car and he apologises profusely every time he knocks or jolts him even though Minseok doesn’t show any signs of waking, not even when Chanyeol’s grip slips and his head ends up bouncing off the door frame.

“Oh fuck, Minseok! I’m sorry!”

“Be careful!” Jongdae snaps.

“Have you got him?” Joonmyun asks.

“Yeah.” Chanyeol nods and he cradles Minseok in his arms. He tries not to think about how light he is, how much blood there is – because he’s still bleeding and it’s everywhere, soaking into both of their clothes and dripping down onto the concrete floor – and he forces himself to take a deep breath. “Yeah, I got him.”

The next few hours pass in a blur.

Chanyeol loses track of the babies almost as soon as they step into the emergency room. He doesn’t worry, though, or at least he tries not to, because Jongdae and Joonmyun stay with them. His phone vibrates almost non-stop in his pocket as they message him with updates. He tries to read them as often as he can but it’s hard when his vision is constantly blurred with tears.

Both of them have bruising on their chests from the straps of the stroller and Sehun has to have the cut on his forehead glued shut. They go for x-rays and scans and a hundred different tests but the doctors and nurses are confident that there’s nothing wrong with them worse than they already know. They decide to keep them in overnight anyway, just because they’re so small and Sehun is so listless and Kyungsoo hasn’t stopped crying since stepping foot into the hospital.

Chanyeol stays by Minseok’s side through it all.

The only time he lets them be separated is when they take Minseok for a CT scan and for x-rays but every other second is spent as close to him as he can get without being in the way of the doctors and nurses.

They let him hold his hand as they stitch the cut on his hairline shut and set his arm and Chanyeol has to force himself to swallow down the bile that rises in his throat. He needs to be there for Minseok, he needs to be with him.

His protective instincts are in overdrive and Chanyeol knows that his scent is overpowering because more than one of the hospital staff crinkle their nose at him and the omegas amongst them – even a couple of the betas – duck their heads and avoid eye contact with him. A growl bubbles in his chest whenever another alpha gets close to Minseok and he has to fight back the urge to hurt them every time they lay a finger on him. The logical part of his brain knows they’re helping Minseok, that they’re just doing their jobs, but he still feels a bit too wild for that to really sink in. But, to their credit, the alphas just ignore him and get on with what it is they need to do.

Minseok floats in and out of consciousness.

The first couple of times he comes to his eyes flit around all the different faces surrounding him without really focusing on any of them before he slips back into unconsciousness. After this his bursts of wakefulness are longer but it’s obvious he’s confused. He doesn’t really recognise Chanyeol and he asks the same questions about Kyungsoo and Sehun over and over again.

One of the doctors tells Chanyeol not to worry, that the results of the CT scan show only very minimal swelling and no fractures of the skull, that it’s positive Minseok is awake at all. She explains that the confusion should clear up as Minseok starts to spend more time awake.

She’s right.

 Minseok still asks after the twins but his questions are different and he seems to be taking in the information Chanyeol gives him. He doesn’t ask what happened and the look of pure horror on his face tells Chanyeol he doesn’t need to. He remembers.

Chanyeol almost wishes he doesn’t.

Nurses come to see him at regular intervals and ask Minseok the same questions – who he is, if he knows where he is, if he can move his hands and his feet – and they check the size of his pupils and that they are reacting to light properly. These visits become less regular as the hours pass and Chanyeol finds the tension slowly leaving his body as each one passes without any kind of incident.

They decide to keep Minseok in overnight for observation and they move him into a small room on one of the higher floors. It’s obvious that the room is set up for double occupancy but the other bed is empty and Chanyeol is grateful for the quiet after the activity of the emergency room.

He messages Jongdae and Joonmyun the room number once Minseok has drifted off to sleep and he rests his head against the high back of the chair he’s settled in. He watches Minseok’s face, looks for any signs of pain or fear, and his eyelids start to grow heavy. The day’s events are catching up with him and he’s exhausted. He tries to stay awake but it becomes a fight to keep his eyes open. It’s a fight he ultimately loses.

Minseok is still asleep when he wakes and the room is dark except for the muted glow coming from the lamp on the small cabinet next to the bed.

“Oh, fuck.” Chanyeol hisses as he shifts and his body protests the movement. He buries his face in his hands and tugs at his hair. “How long have I been asleep?”

“A couple of hours maybe.” A voice says and Chanyeol jumps.

He’s on his feet and raising a fist before he even realises what he’s doing, eyes wide as he looks for the owner of the voice.

“Relax, it’s just me!”

Chanyeol’s gaze lands on Joonmyun standing at the foot of the bed, a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Oh, god, you scared me.” Chanyeol says and he lets himself sink back into the chair. “I thought-.”

“I’m sorry.” Joonmyun offers him a sheepish smile. “I just went to get a drink, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay.” Chanyeol sighs and he wills his heart to stop beating so quickly. “When did you get here?”

“About ten minutes after you messaged us.” Joonmyun tells him as he takes the seat next to Chanyeol’s. “Baekhyun and Jongin had just arrived when your message came through so I left them with Jongdae and the babies.”

Chanyeol jolts at Joonmyun’s words as they sink in, as he works out what they mean, “you knew. The conversation in the car- you heard the babies crying and you asked about Minseok. I don’t- I… _You knew_.”

“Of course I did.” He answers easily. “I’ve known the twins were Minseok’s since that day in the crèche. His scent was all over them. And I was so angry at him because I thought you didn’t know, that he was just stringing you along and using you, and I didn’t want to see you get hurt. That’s why I tried to warn you away.”

“Hyung…”

“But then when we were at yours last week and I was putting the fliers together on your laptop, I looked through your internet history. I was looking for something to tease you about but then I saw all the things you’d been looking at and realised you knew about the babies and that you were okay with it. I couldn’t be angry with Minseok anymore, not once I knew that you knew everything and that you still loved him anyway.”

Chanyeol feels tears well in his eyes and he doesn’t make any attempt to stop them from spilling down his cheeks.

Joonmyun puts a hand on his shoulder, “all I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy, Chanyeol, and I know I was an asshole but I was just trying to protect you. I won’t stand in the way of you and Minseok being together, not anymore, not when it’s so obvious how much you love each other.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

 “I was just…” Joonmyun struggles for a moment. “I don’t know. I guess I was waiting for you to tell me.”

“I was scared.” Chanyeol admits after a beat. “You’re one of my best friends and I didn’t want to lose you.”

“I know.” Joonmyun murmurs, his voice soft. “But you don’t have to keep anything secret. Not anymore. I’m going to do everything I can to make it up to Minseok for the way I treated him and I’m going to help the both of you with whatever you need me to do. You’re my brother, Yeol, and so he is, too. Families look after each other.”

Chanyeol starts to sob then and Joonmyun moves to pull him into a hug. It’s an awkward angle and it makes Chanyeol’s already sore muscles ache but he clings onto Joonmyun as if his life depended on it. Joonmyun doesn’t let go, doesn’t even try to move away, not until Chanyeol is ready to let go.

They sit in silence for a long while after that and Joonmyun sips at his coffee while Chanyeol watches the steady rise and fall of Minseok’s chest.

“What happened?” Joonmyun asks at last.

And Chanyeol can’t help the mess of words that tumble from his lips because now he can talk to Joonmyun he so desperately wants to tell him everything.

So he talks.

He tells Joonmyun about Jihoon and Minseok. He tells him about the alpha’s possessiveness and how he had manipulated Minseok into giving him everything he wanted. He tells him about all the bruises Jihoon had left and how Minseok had been falling apart in front of Chanyeol’s eyes. He tells Joonmyun about getting him the job at the showroom and then what happened at the party.

“You were an idiot for bringing him in the first place.” Joonmyun says.

“I know.”

“Do you know how many other alphas I had to scare away that night?”

“No.” Chanyeol frowns because he had been totally oblivious. “But I was really drunk.”

“You were.” Joonmyun nods. “And you nearly screwed everything up. No wonder Jongdae punched you.”

“I deserved it.”

Joonmyun agrees, “yeah. I think Jongdae went easy on you.”

“Doesn’t he always?” Chanyeol asks. “No matter how much I fuck up, he’s always there to talk some sense into me and help me pick up the pieces.”

Chanyeol goes on to tell Joonmyun about the last week and the more he talks the more Minseok’s behaviour starts to make sense.

“On Tuesday he asked me to wait for him to wave at me from his window before leaving.” Chanyeol says and he can’t believe he hadn’t worked it out before now. “He knew then, didn’t he? Or at least he suspected… He wasn’t scared that I was going to run off and leave him- he wanted me to be able to tell if something was wrong.”

“Smart.” Joonmyun murmurs.

“And the reason he wasn’t sleeping- he said something about hearing someone testing the door handle during the night. It was Jihoon. He tried to tell me but I just… I didn’t _think_. I’m such a fucking idiot. Why didn’t I work it out?” Chanyeol tugs at his hair as anger builds in his chest.

How could he have been so blind?

The answer was right there in front of him. If he’d just stopped to think for one minute then maybe he’d have been able to stop this from happening.

“It’s not your fault.” Joonmyun tells him, as if hearing his thoughts. “You didn’t know.”

“I should have.” Chanyeol grinds out from between clenched teeth. “It was so obvious and I didn’t-. I should have known. Then I could have insisted Minseok stay with me another night or I could have walked him up to his apartment. I could have- I could have-.”

“Don’t blame yourself.”

“He was going to- if I hadn’t have gotten there in time.” Chanyeol chokes out. “If I had just been another couple of minutes… He was going to rape him, hyung.”

Joonmyun’s face is devoid of any colour but his expression is resolute, “but you stopped him.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol breathes, “I stopped him.”

“How?”

“We fought.” Chanyeol tells him. “And I hit him around the head with the metal bar he’d used on Minseok.”

“Did you kill him?” Joonmyun asks and his voice is flat and his face carefully blank.

Chanyeol can’t tell what he’s thinking.

“No.” He shakes his head and he can’t look at Joonmyun. “He was breathing when we left but he was out cold. I didn’t… I just needed to get us out of there.”

“Okay.” Joonmyun says.

“Okay?” Chanyeol repeats.

“Don’t worry about it.” He tells him and the finality in his voice tells Chanyeol that the discussion is over. “We’ll sort something out.”

Chanyeol spends most of the rest of the night dozing. He wakes whenever a nurse comes in to rouse Minseok and to carry out checks. The omega falls back asleep quickly after each visit and Chanyeol hopes it’s just the exhaustion of the last week catching up to him rather than anything else.

Joonmyun stays the whole night and Chanyeol takes comfort from his presence. He doesn’t sleep, or least Chanyeol doesn’t think he does, because every time he wakes Joonmyun’s awake, too, either on his phone or watching the door.

Minseok wakes on his own just after eight. His face is pinched and pale and it’s obvious he’s in pain but he doesn’t say anything. The bruises on his throat are now a deep purple and swollen and Chanyeol thinks that is what holds him back from speaking. He asks the nurse who delivers Minseok’s breakfast for some painkillers before he encourages Minseok to try and eat.

Chanyeol watches with eagle eyes as Minseok chews uninterestedly at a piece of toast and he can’t help but worry at how lethargic and jerky his movements are. He only manages a couple of bites before letting the toast drop onto the plate and slumping back onto his pillows.

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asks.

Minseok doesn’t answer, he doesn’t even look at him.

“I can go get you something from the cafeteria if you want something different?” Joonmyun offers. “Maybe something easier for your throat- a yoghurt or some soup?”

Minseok closes his eyes and presses his lips into a thin line.

Again, he doesn’t speak.

Jongdae, Baekhyun and Jongin arrive shortly before ten with the twins. The babies are dressed in fresh clothes but they look tired and upset.

“They didn’t sleep very well last night.” Jongdae explains and he, too, looks exhausted. “They were too wound up and there was too much noise for them to settle properly.”

Sehun lets out a small cry on seeing Minseok and throws himself in his direction and Jongin has to adjust his grip on him so that he doesn’t drop him.

Jongin walks over to stand by the head of the bed and says in a soft voice, “hey, Minseok. Look who we brought to see you.”

Minseok blinks but doesn’t given any other indication that he’s heard him and Jongin throws a worried look in Chanyeol’s direction.

“Sehun and Kyungsoo are here, Minseok.” Chanyeol tries. “Don’t you want to see them?”

Sehun reaches for Minseok again and Jongin places him on the bed. Kyungsoo, too, makes grabby hands in Minseok’s direction and Jongdae follows Jongin’s lead in putting him on the bed.

The babies crawl onto Minseok’s lap and Sehun pulls himself up so that he’s slumped across Minseok’s chest while Kyungsoo lets out a tired snuffle.

Chanyeol watches with bated breath as Minseok slowly wraps the arm not in the cast around Sehun. Kyungsoo makes a disgruntled noise and grabs at the front of Minseok’s gown as he pulls himself up so that he’s copying his brother in leaning against Minseok’s chest.

“Oh.” Minseok chokes out and he hugs the boys close, letting his cheek rest against the top of Kyungsoo’s head. He blinks back tears and hushes the twins as first Sehun and then Kyungsoo start to sniffle and then cry. “S’okay.”

Chanyeol rests a hand on Minseok’s shoulder, pretends he doesn’t feel him flinch away, “look, they’re okay. I told you they would be.”

Minseok’s face crumples but he doesn’t cry.

He eyes flick from Joonmyun to Baekhyun to Jongin to Jongdae and then drop back down to the babies and he tightens his hold on them.

“Do you guys want a minute?” Jongdae asks.

“Yeah.” Chanyeol nods. “Please.”

The others file from the room and Chanyeol waits until the door is closed once more before wrapping his arm around Minseok’s shoulder and pressing a kiss into his hair.

“It’s okay, Minseok.” He whispers. “You can cry if you want to. It’s just us.”

Minseok’s breath catches in his throat but he shakes his head even if it makes him wince. Chanyeol can feel him trembling.

“It’s just us.” He repeats.

Minseok’s words are clumsy and thick when he asks, “wha’ happens now?”

“I don’t know.” Chanyeol tells him. “I don’t know if the doctors are going to let you out today. Kyungsoo and Sehun are okay to go but… We’ll look after them. Jongdae is already a little bit in love with them and he knows how to look after babies. He’ll watch them for you while you’re in the hospital. Then after that- I guess you’ll come back to mine with me. I have the room and there’s things there for the boys already. I don’t think- I don’t think you should go home.”

Minseok goes white and suddenly he’s trying to move the twins away. Chanyeol lifts them from his chest just in time for Minseok to be sick all down his front.

“Oh, shit.” Chanyeol hisses and the babies are crying again in earnest. “Let me just- I’ll go get someone.”

He struggles with the door until someone pulls it open from the other side.

“Is everything okay?” Jongdae asks, immediately taking Kyungsoo from Chanyeol and cuddling him against his chest.

“Minseok’s been sick.” Chanyeol tells him.

“I’ll go get a nurse.” Baekhyun says even as he hurries away.

“Do you want me to take Sehun?” Jongin asks.

Chanyeol nods and they have to pry Sehun’s fingers from his t-shirt so Jongin can hold him.

“It’s going to be okay.” Joonmyun says and he rubs at Chanyeol’s back. “It’s going to be okay.”

Minseok is kept in the hospital for another night. He’s sick a couple more times but the new scans and x-rays he has don’t show that the swelling has gotten any worse. Chanyeol stays with him the whole time even if he just mostly sleeps and doesn’t speak at all when he is awake.

Chanyeol wants him to know he’s not alone.

The others take Kyungsoo and Sehun back to Chanyeol’s apartment. They feed them and bathe them and try to keep them occupied. Jongdae messages him every couple of hours to let him know how they are. He’s not surprised to hear that they throw tantrums and burst into tears at the slightest thing. The last couple of days have been difficult for them, have left them wound up and unsettled, and being away from Minseok with almost strangers, with the exception of Jongdae, hasn’t helped matters. 

Chanyeol hopes for all their sake’s that when Minseok joins them at the apartment that they’ll begin to calm down.

Joonmyun brings Minseok a fresh change of clothes on the morning he’s allowed to leave the hospital and then spends the next hour trying to scrub the blood from Chanyeol’s car. While he’s gone, Chanyeol helps Minseok get dressed because, between his cast and his shaking hand, he can’t manage very well on his own. Minseok lets him without any kind of protest and Chanyeol worries because he’s not used to Minseok being so passive.

They’re finally allowed to leave as midday approaches and they grab food for everyone on the way back to Chanyeol’s apartment.

Kyungsoo and Sehun are delighted to see Minseok and he spends the first hour at the apartment cuddling with them on the sofa as best as he can with his broken arm. It’s a task trying to get any of them to eat but eventually the twins’ hunger outweighs their need to be with Minseok and Jongdae and Jongin put them in the new highchairs sitting around the dining table and feed them.

“I’m tired.” Minseok whispers to Chanyeol even as his eyes linger on his sons.

“Okay.” Chanyeol says. “Why don’t you go lay down? A bed is much comfier to sleep on than the sofa.”

“Okay.” Minseok murmurs.

Chanyeol has to help pull him from the sofa. Minseok stumbles and trips over his own feet and Chanyeol puts a hand on the small of his back to keep him steady and to guide him in the direction of the bedroom.

He pulls Minseok’s socks off and helps him take of the jeans he’s wearing – another pair of Jongdae’s – and Minseok curls up under the covers and squeezes his eyes shut.

Chanyeol perches on the edge of the bed, “are you okay?”

“My head hurts.” Minseok tells him.

Chanyeol frowns, “you’re not due anymore pain medication for another couple of hours.”

“I know.”

“Just…” Chanyeol sighs. “Just try to get some sleep, okay? You’ll feel better once you’ve slept.”

Minseok sniffs and Chanyeol thinks that this is it: that the dam of emotions is going to burst and Minseok is going to let himself go, that he’s going to let himself cry and scream and question why the world is so intent on punishing him.

He doesn’t.

Instead he just sniffs again and pulls up the covers past his head and tries to get himself comfortable.

“Come back into the lounge when you’re feeling better.” Chanyeol says. “It’ll be time for some more painkillers by then.”

Minseok doesn’t say anything.

Chanyeol sighs and runs his hand down what he thinks is Minseok’s back.

“I love you.” He tells him. “More than anything in this world. You’re going to get through this, I know you are, because you’re so, so strong. But you don’t have to be like that all the time, okay? What happened… It was horrible, Minseok. And I’m so sorry that I didn’t realise there was something wrong- that I didn’t get there sooner. I should have- I… Just, it’s okay to be upset. You’re allowed to cry. It doesn’t make you weak or any less strong than you already are. It doesn’t make you any less perfect than I know you are. Because, I promise you, I’m going to be here for you whatever happens. I’m going to keep on loving you until the day that I die.”

He hears Minseok take a deep, shuddering breath and he waits for him to speak but Minseok doesn’t say a word.

“Get some sleep.” Chanyeol says after a minute has passed. “I love you.”

Chanyeol thinks he hears an ‘I love you, too’ as he pulls the door closed behind himself but he puts it down to wishful thinking. Minseok has never said the words out loud.

“How is he?” Joonmyun asks once Chanyeol has thrown himself onto the sofa.

“He has a headache.” Chanyeol tells him. “And he’s holding onto everything too tightly. He just needs to let go.”

“Give him time.” Jongdae advises from his seat at the dining table. “He’ll open up eventually.”

“I hope so.” Chanyeol mumbles. “I don’t like seeing him like this.”

“What happens now?” Baekhyun asks. “He stays here until the headaches stop?”

“He’s not going to be able to look after the babies with his arm in a cast.” Jongin frowns as he holds a spoonful of food to Sehun’s mouth.

“I don’t think he should be going back to his place.” Joonmyun says. “Not for a long time. He should stay here. It’s safer and there’ll be people around to help with the babies while his arm heals.”

“There’s a travel cot set up in the spare room.” Jongdae tells him. “And I don’t mind sticking around to help. Minseok and the boys… they’re pretty much family now.”

“I want to help, too.” Jongin says.

“We all do.” Baekhyun nods. “I mean, I’m not really a fan of babies but the brats are growing on me. I want to make sure they’re okay. Minseok, too.”

“Thank you.” Chanyeol says and he doesn’t think he’s ever felt so lucky to have the friends he does. “I really mean it, thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank us.” Joonmyun tells him and there’s the faintest hint of pink on his cheeks. “We’re family. Whatever happens.”

Baekhyun makes gagging noises and Joonmyun hits him and the moment is ruined. Chanyeol is almost glad because he thinks that he’s not quite out of tears, never mind how much he’s cried over the last couple of days, and he’s doesn’t want to waste what little he has left on his friends.

“We should make a list.” Jongdae says.

“Of what?” Baekhyun asks as he dodges another hit from Joonmyun.

“Things for the babies and Minseok.” Jongin rolls his eyes. “Duh.”

“They’re going to need clothes, all three of them.” Jongdae continues. “And we’re going to need more diapers and baby food.”

“You can get clothes and stuff from his apartment, can’t you?” Jongin asks, looking at Chanyeol.

“I-.” A jolt of fear runs through him and his chews his bottom lip. “Yeah. Yeah, I can.”

“I’ll go with you.” Baekhyun says quickly and then he adds an excuse as an afterthought, “I need to get some fresh air anyway. I feel like I’ve been cooped up in here for days.”

Jongdae’s voice is dry, “it’s been one day.”

“You want to go now?” Chanyeol asks.

“Why not?” Baekhyun shrugs. “We could be back before Minseok wakes up.”

“Okay.” Chanyeol nods and he runs a hand through his hair. “Okay.”

“I’ll come down with you.” Joonmyun says and he gets to his feet. “I need to stop by the office for a few hours. I’ll be back in time for dinner, though.”

They catch the elevator down together and Joonmyun gives Chanyeol a hug and Baekhyun another punch on the arm before they go their separate ways.

“My car or yours?” Baekhyun asks, spinning his keys from his index finger in attempt to look cool only to drop them.

Chanyeol shakes his head at him, “mine. You have no idea where you’re going.”

“That’s why I have GPS.”

“You have one but you have no idea how to use it. Or so I’m led to believe – something about driving three hours in the wrong direction because you put the wrong destination in?”

Baekhyun narrows his eyes at him, “how do you know about that?”

Chanyeol smiles sweetly at him, “I have my ways.”

“I’m going to kill Jongin.”

“Jongin?” Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at him. “It was Joonmyun who told me.”

“Then I’m definitely going to kill Jongin.”

They get into the car and Baekhyun talks him through all the different ways he could get revenge on Jongin as Chanyeol drives, each one getting more ridiculous than the last. It’s enough to make Chanyeol laugh and smile and he’s grateful to Baekhyun because he knows his friend is doing his best to distract him from his nervousness.

He still feels a burst of anxiety as they get into the elevator to go up to the third floor but he tries not to think about what he had found last time.

His eyes widen and his heartbeat quickens as they walk down the corridor to Minseok’s apartment and see a man standing at his door.

“What’s going on?” Chanyeol asks as soon as they’re close enough.

The man nods at the paper he’s nailing into the door, “eviction notice.”

“Eviction notice?” Baekhyun repeats. “What? Why?”

“What do you care?” The man, another alpha, asks.

“We know him.” Chanyeol tells him. “Minseok – the person who lives here.”

“That whore of an omega?” The man snorts. “I told him I didn’t want any trouble from him when I let him take the apartment. His type never know how to stay out of trouble though, do they? Have you seen my door? And the mess he’s left in there? I’m going to have to get cleaners in to get all that blood off the floor before I can rent it out again.”

“You can’t kick him out just for that.” Baekhyun argues. “Not if he pays to get the door fixed.”

“With what money?” The man coughs and then spits on the floor by their feet. “That little bitch is three months behind on his rent and I’m sick of giving him chances. All the fucks in the world aren’t going to make up for it, not this time.”

Chanyeol’s blood runs cold.

The man sees the look on his face and smirks, “what? You not had him yet? Take my advice and don’t waste your time. He just lays there and takes it, pretty and limp as a doll.”

“What?” Baekhyun asks but Chanyeol finds he can’t speak.

“It’s okay if you’re into that kind of thing, he’ll let you do whatever you want to him.” The man’s face twists into a cruel sneer. “But I like my omegas with a bit of a fight in them. He didn’t even try to fight- not after the first time.”

Rage burns through Chanyeol and he’s throwing a punch before he even knows what he’s doing. He hits the man square on the cheek and he stumbles backwards from the force of it.

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun shouts and Chanyeol pauses, fist in the air.

“What? Have I hurt your feelings?” The man laughs and then he spits blood onto the floor. “You’re an idiot, kid. Omegas like that aren’t anything to get worked up over. They think they’re too good for a bond but they’re not. Teach them a few lessons and it doesn’t take them long to learn that the only thing they’re good enough for is fucking.”

“You-.” Chanyeol starts but Baekhyun cuts him off.

“We’re going to get Minseok’s things and then we’re going to leave.” He says and his voice shakes with anger. “You can forget your money and everything else, too. You’re lucky we’re not going to report you to the police.”

“And what would they do? I already told you- omegas like that don’t matter.” But then the man shrugs and takes a step backwards. “But fine, whatever. Take his shit and get out of here. I don’t want to see him or either of you in my building again, got it?”

“The only way I’d step foot near this place again would be to see it get knocked down.” Baekhyun tells him with a snarl.

They wait until the man has disappeared down the hall before entering the apartment.

“Come on.” Baekhyun says as they enter, his hand around Chanyeol’s wrist. “The sooner we get everything the sooner we can leave this place behind.”

Apart from the absence of Jihoon, the apartment doesn’t look like anyone has touched it since Chanyeol was last there. The contents of the bag of baby things are still strewn across the floor and there are pools of sticky dried blood soaking into the wooden flooring. Chanyeol spots Minseok’s messenger bag by the kitchen counters and he goes to retrieve it immediately.

“Is this it?” Baekhyun asks, looking around the small space with wide eyes.

“This is it.” Chanyeol confirms.

“Shit.” Baekhyun swears. “This is… Where did he sleep?”

“The sofa, I guess.” Chanyeol says as he searches through the kitchen for anything he thinks Minseok might want. “It must fold out.”

Baekhyun goes to investigate and after a couple of minutes he says, “it doesn’t.”

“Does it really matter now?” Chanyeol asks and he can feel himself shaking. “We just need to get everything and leave.”

He takes the formula and rice cakes he finds in the cabinets but he leaves the expired pack of ramyeon and mostly empty box of laundry powder. He goes into the bathroom and grabs the baby bath in there and the two little hooded towels hung up on the back of the door and anything else he can find that is baby related, not knowing exactly what Kyungsoo and Sehun will need.

Baekhyun scopes out the main room but there’s nothing much in there except for the plastic boxes of clothes and toys. Chanyeol takes the top one and places the bath filled with things from the bathroom and the couple of things from the kitchen cabinets on top of it while Baekhyun grabs the two remaining boxes. They’re not that big or heavy but the bath makes it awkward as they walk back down the hall to the elevator.

“This is it.” Baekhyun says once they’ve pressed the button for the ground floor. “This is their entire lives in three boxes. That’s really sad, man.”

Chanyeol doesn’t trust himself to speak.

“What are you going to tell him?” Baekhyun asks.

“I don’t know.” Chanyeol mumbles. “I really don’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is hrhqueencoco


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your patience. I'm so sorry this has taken so long to post. Unfortunately, I've been quite busy the last couple of weeks with work and my birthday so I haven't had to time to write as much as I wanted. However, chapter 9 is now finished! It's just short of 15k and I am so in love with it. I hope you love it, too.
> 
> Lily - you have been perfect. Thank you so much for everything.

They go to the store after Minseok’s apartment. Baekhyun is oddly quiet as they wander the aisles, each pushing a cart, and Chanyeol is left having to find his own distractions. He flicks through his phone mindlessly even as he loads food and toiletries and things for the babies into the carts. He keeps on going until the carts are overflowing but when it comes to paying he doesn’t remember picking up half of what’s in them.

“This sucks.” Baekhyun huffs as they load everything into the car. “This really fucking sucks.”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol agrees, not really knowing what else to say.

“I don’t know if you should tell him.” Baekhyun says. “At least not for a little while. He’s got enough on his mind.”

“He’ll have to find out eventually.” Chanyeol reasons. “I can’t keep it from him forever.”

“I’m not saying lie to him.” Baekhyun tells him with a shrug. “I just think you should avoid bringing it up for the next few days. Wait until he’s a bit more like himself before you break the news.”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol nods and he thinks Baekhyun might be right. “Okay.”

There’s a moment of quiet then as Baekhyun chews on his bottom lip and tries to work out how best to put into words what’s on his mind.

“Just spit it out.” Chanyeol says and his heart feels heavy, already guessing what’s about to come.

“Is it true?” Baekhyun asks, hesitantly. “What that guy said about Minseok..?”

He sighs, “yeah.”

“How could anyone-? I don’t understand.” Baekhyun looks sick. “I was hoping that he was just making it up, trying to get a rise out of you. But, I just- _why_? Why would you do that to someone? It’s disgusting. No one deserves to be treated like that. And definitely not omegas, not even the unbonded ones. We’re meant to look after them, not use them like _that_.”

“I know.” Chanyeol says.

“I’m just- it’s disgusting. You can’t let him go back there, Chanyeol. Not ever. He deserves so much better than that.”

Chanyeol has to blink back the tears that well in his eyes when Baekhyun pulls him into a fierce hug and whispers, “we’ll get him through this. You’ll see. It’ll all work out in the end.”

Minseok is nowhere to be seen when they get back to the apartment.

“Has he been up at all?” Chanyeol asks with a frown.

He and Baekhyun have just completed the last of the trips to the car to bring everything in. Jongdae and Jongin are already packing groceries away while Kyungsoo and Sehun sit on the floor by the sofa, fussing over a toy. Chanyeol can hear them making noises at one another and he can tell from just one look that neither of them are happy. He doesn’t think it will be long before one or both of them are in tears.

“No.” Jongin shakes his head. “I went in to check on him but he was sleeping. He’s probably just exhausted.”

“Between the twins and Jihoon, he’s probably not slept a whole night through in months.” Jongdae says. “Just let him sleep for now. We can wake him once dinner is ready.”

“What’s with the boxes?” Jongin asks, changing the subject.

They’re the last things Chanyeol and Baekhyun had brought up from the car and Chanyeol understands why Jongin is curious because, while there’s nothing really unusual about him not doing so, Baekhyun isn’t helping them with the groceries. But instead of watching them and making unhelpful comments like he normally would, he’s hovering over the boxes- almost as if he’s guarding them.

Baekhyun sniffs and scowls, “oh, you know, they’ve just got all of Minseok and babies’ worldly possessions in them. Nothing major.”

Jongin’s eyebrows shoot up, “you’re kidding, right?”

“I wish.” Baekhyun crosses his arms across his chest and continues to scowl.

“We… We ran into Minseok’s landlord.” Chanyeol tells them and he’s not sure how much he wants to share about what had happened because he doesn’t think it’s his story to tell, not really. What that man had put Minseok through… It’s horrific. He opens and closes his mouth a couple of times before finally settling on, “he was putting up an eviction notice when we got to the apartment.”

“I’d hardly call that place an apartment.” Baekhyun mutters darkly.

Jongdae ignores him, “why?”

“He was behind on rent by a few months.” Chanyeol looks at the twins, sees them squabble over a stuffed toy, and he feels a sudden flash of anger. But it’s not at them- it’s at himself. Kyungsoo and Sehun are Minseok’s world and Chanyeol thinks he’s finally, finally starting to understand what that means. He feels sick with guilt to think that this is what it had taken – hearing that filthy pig gloat about using Minseok _like that_ – for him to truly understand. “That man… He was foul. The things he said-.”

“It doesn’t matter what he said.” Baekhyun cuts him off before he can really get going and shoots him a glare. “What’s happened has happened and we can’t change the past. It doesn’t matter how we feel about it, not really. We’ve just got to keep looking forwards. We need to put a plan together to help Minseok through this.”

Chanyeol forces himself to calm down as Kyungsoo lets out a wail, Sehun following him with one of his own seconds later.

“I’ll get them.” Jongdae says quickly.

Once everything is put away, Chanyeol helps Jongin prepare dinner while Baekhyun and Jongdae sit with the babies. Kyungsoo is in a foul mood and no amount of tickles or cuddles seem to be enough to soothe him. He screams angrily and balls his tiny hands into fists and lashes out at everyone and everything. Sehun is little better. He’s teary and he clings to Jongdae, threatening to cry every time Jongdae so much looks at anyone else.

Joonmyun arrives just as Jongin starts to plate everything up but Chanyeol doesn’t really say much more to him than hello before he disappears into his bedroom with a tray for Minseok.

He sets the tray on the bedside table and flicks the lamp on before sitting on the edge of the bed. He puts a hand on the lump under the covers and asks, “Minseok? Are you awake?”

Minseok doesn’t respond.

“I brought you your pain medication and something to eat.” Chanyeol says, his voice soft.

Minseok shifts and rolls over, moves closer to him, “Chanyeol?”

“I’m here.” Chanyeol tells him and he runs his hand through Minseok’s hair.

“My head hurts.” Minseok’s voice is thick with sleep as he blinks blearily.

“You can take your pills once you’ve had something to eat.” Chanyeol says. “Do you need some help sitting up?”

Minseok makes a noise that Chanyeol doesn’t really know how to interpret so he assumes it’s a yes when Minseok doesn’t show any signs of moving.

He’s gentle as he pulls Minseok into a sitting position and he’s relieved when the omega doesn’t flinch away from his touch. He puts the tray on Minseok’s lap and Chanyeol watches him carefully as he clumsily spoons soup into his mouth, still working his way to full wakefulness.

He gets most way through the bowl before admitting defeat and it’s enough for Chanyeol to feel satisfied even if it’s not as much as he’d want or expect him to eat.

“How’s your stomach?” He asks as Minseok takes a long drink of water. “You’re not feeling sick anymore, are you?”

“It’s fine.” Minseok answers.

Chanyeol nudges the pills from the corner of the tray and closer to Minseok’s hand, “that’s good. We’re just about to have our dinner. Do you want to come out and sit with us or do you want to stay in bed?”

“The boys.” Minseok’s eyes widen and he’s suddenly wide awake. “The boys, I need to-.”

“No, you don’t.” Chanyeol cuts him off before he can get himself too worked up. “You don’t need to do anything. Not if you don’t want to. Jongdae and the others are with Sehun and Kyungsoo. They’re being well looked after.”

Minseok’s bottom lip wobbles and his forehead creases, “are they okay?”

“They’re fine.” Chanyeol assures him. “They’re grumpy and giving us a hard time but it isn’t anything we can’t handle.”

“They might be sick.”

“They’re not coughing or sneezing.” He tells him. “I think they’re just missing you.”

“Why?” Minseok asks and he is so close to tears.

Chanyeol freezes as he processes Minseok’s question, tries to understand it, his heart thudding painfully in his chest. Eventually he says, “you’re their dad. Of course they miss you. Why would you think they wouldn’t?”

“I…” He trails off.

“Minseok, they love you.” Chanyeol rushes to tell him. “They love you and they miss you.”

“Okay.” Minseok says but there’s doubt in his eyes.

Chanyeol doesn’t know what to say to convince him so he doesn’t try for fear of making things worse.

Minseok takes his pills and finishes his water and neither of them say anything for a long while.

Chanyeol sighs.

Minseok looks so small in his bed. Breakable, too, in a way that Chanyeol has never really considered before. He sees the bruises and the stitches and the cast but he knows it’s not those that have left the cracks he can so clearly see in Minseok. It’s the weight of the world pushing down on his shoulders, punishing him for reasons Chanyeol no longer understands, that is pushing him ever closer to shattering into a thousand pieces. He wants to help, he wants to take him in his hands and shield him from the rest of the world, he wants to do everything he can to stop Minseok from breaking beyond repair. He just doesn’t know where to start. He doesn’t know what Minseok needs.

“I love you.” Chanyeol tries.

Minseok avoids his gaze, “I know.”

“Do you?” He asks because he doesn’t think he does. Not really. “What do I have to do to convince you?”

“I’m sorry.” Minseok says.

Chanyeol runs his hand through his hair and he feels frustration well in his chest. His words come out harsher than he intends, “what do I need to do?”

“I’m sorry.” He says again and he’s shrinking back against the headboard. “I know you-. I know, okay? I’m sorry.”

“Shit, Minseok.” Chanyeol’s shoulders slump and he feels empty. “Don’t be sorry, okay? I’m the one fucking this up. I’m the one who should be sorry. I just…”

He trails off.

“What?” Minseok whispers, his expression guarded and his whole body still so tense.

“Horrible things have happened to you.” Chanyeol says. “And I know people have been so cruel to you and they’ve hurt you in the most terrible of ways. They’ve told you that you don’t matter and that you’re not worth anything so it’s okay for them to treat you like dirt. But it’s not true. I don’t think anything could be more untrue. What those people have done to you doesn’t make you anything less- it doesn’t make it right for the world to treat you like it has. You are no less worthy of love than anyone else, Minseok. I want you to see that and I want you to believe it, too. I want you to feel just how much I feel for you. Because, because it’s so much more, it’s so much deeper, than just love. You are everything to me.”

Chanyeol can feel flames licking at his insides and every fibre of his being is calling for the fire that is burning inside of Minseok, desperate to add the omega’s flames to his own. He knows Minseok can feel the heat of his fire because he’s looking at him with wide eyes and he’s shaking.

Chanyeol reaches out for Minseok and takes his smaller hand in his own.

The fire hisses and spits at the contact but it doesn’t grow, not like he expects it to, and he doesn’t feel the burn of Minseok’s fire join his own. He doesn’t feel any kind of warmth come from him.

“Minseok?” Chanyeol asks and he’s scared.

Because he’s offering Minseok the chance to bond with him and he isn’t taking it.

Chanyeol squeezes his hand tightly in his own and the increased contact fans the flames but he doesn’t let them spread to Minseok. He can’t force Minseok to accept and even if he could, he wouldn’t. But it’s so hard to contain everything that he’s feeling when all he wants is to envelop Minseok in flames and feel the burn of the omega’s fire in return. He wants to tie his scent and his soul to Minseok. He wants to so completely own and be owned- for the whole world to know it, too.

He is desperate for the fires to melt them down so that they can rebuild as a whole.

“Can you feel it, Minseok?” He asks and his voice is trembling.

“I can’t.” Minseok says. “I can’t- please, I can’t!”

Chanyeol pulls back immediately. The fire in his chest shrinks back down and he drops Minseok’s hand.

“Minseok?” He’s still scared but he’s hurting now, too.

“I’m sorry. I just- I can’t. Ji… Jihoon when he-.” Minseok pulls his knees up to his chest and the movement unsettles the tray still resting on his lap. Chanyeol is not quick enough to keep the bowl of soup from being knocked over. The remainder of its contents spill across the tray and drip onto the sheets. The empty glass falls from tray and onto the bed and when it continues its descent and hits the floor, it shatters. “Oh, god, oh, god- I’m sorry! What have I done? What have I done? I just- I can’t. I _can’t_.”

“Okay.” Chanyeol says quickly. “Okay. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

And he doesn’t know whether he means the glass and the spilled soup or the rejection of the bond but he hopes Minseok understands. Chanyeol might be hurting but he’s going to be there for Minseok no matter. He just needs to know why Minseok had pushed him away.

“Please don’t hate me.” Minseok pleads but he doesn’t let the tears in his eyes spill down his cheeks.

“How could I ever hate you?” Chanyeol asks and the hurt and the fear fades away only to be replaced by worry. “I love you, Minseok.”

“Please.” Minseok continues as if he hasn’t heard a word Chanyeol has said. “Please, please don’t hate me. I want to. I want to so badly but I _can’t_. I just need some time, I just need-. I’m going to try, okay? I want to be good enough for you.”

“You’ll always be good enough for me.” Chanyeol tells him.

“I just need some time.” Minseok says and he withdraws back into himself once more.

Chanyeol exits the bedroom feeling hollow and confused and some of what he’s feeling must show on his face because Joonmyun fixes him with a frown as he takes the tray from him. It only grows as he catches sight of the spilled soup and gets it all over his hands.

“What happened?” He asks as they walk towards the kitchen.

The others are sat around the dining table with the twins in their highchairs and they’re all eating, even if Kyungsoo looks like he’s on the verge of another tantrum, and none of them say anything as they walk passed. Still, Chanyeol can feel their concerned gazes on him and he tries not to shrink under their weight.

“What happened?” Joonmyun asks again once he’s put the tray down on the kitchen island. “You look upset.”

“How do I convince him that I love him?” Chanyeol lets out a tired sigh. “I’ve told him so many times but I don’t think he believes me.”

“After what he’s been through, it’s not enough to just say it.” Joonmyun tells him. “He’s probably got no idea what that even means anymore. You have to show him.”

“I tried.” Chanyeol says. “I tried to show him just how serious I am about us. I offered him the chance to bond but he didn’t take it.” 

“It’s only been a couple of days, just give him time.” Joonmyun advises, fixing him with a sympathetic smile. “These next few weeks are going to be hard for him. He’s going to get sad and angry and he might try to push you away. You can’t let him, though. You’ve got to prove to him that you’re going to be by his side no matter what. Once he knows that then he’ll start to believe.”

“Do you really think?” Chanyeol asks and he allows himself to hope.

“Of course.” Joonmyun answers and his voice is firm, as if he truly believes every word that he’s saying. “If a bond is meant to happen then it’ll happen. That’s how it works. And I know- I can just feel – you two are meant to be. Just give him time and be patient. It’ll work itself out eventually.”

Chanyeol takes a moment to consider his words before letting his shoulders slump, “you’re right. Thank you, hyung. I just-.”

“Chanyeol!” Jongdae rushes into the kitchen.

“What?” Chanyeol asks and the tension is suddenly back.

“Minseok’s phone.” Jongdae explains as he thrusts the offending item at him. “We kept hearing something vibrating and it took us ages to work out... It keeps ringing over and over and I thought it would be- it’s Yifan.”

Chanyeol takes the phone just as it starts to ring again.

He answers it immediately, “hello?”

There’s a short pause before a voice on the other side demands, “who are you? What are you doing with Minseok’s phone?”

“It’s Chanyeol.” Chanyeol says. “Minseok- he’s staying with me.”

“What’s happened?” Yifan asks, his voice hard. “He missed my call on Sunday night but he never phoned me back- not like he usually would. I’ve tried calling him so many times and then I went around to his apartment after work and-. It was that bastard, wasn’t it? The one from the restaurant. I’ve always known- the way he looked at him but… Oh, god. Is he okay? And the babies? Fuck, are the babies okay? He didn’t hurt them did he?”

“They have some bruising on their chests and Sehun has a cut on his forehead but they’re okay. We took them to the hospital and they’ve been checked out. They’re okay. They’re at my apartment, my friends are helping me look after them.”

“And Minseok? What did that bastard do?”

“He attacked him.” Chanyeol says and he tries to stop his voice from wobbling. “He hit him on the head and he broke his arm and he tried to strangle him.”

“Oh shit, oh fuck.” Yifan hisses. “Did he- god, did he?”

“No.” Chanyeol answers quickly. “No, I got there in time.”

“Thank god.” Yifan breathes. “Thank god. Did you say he was with you? Can I talk to him?”

“He’s in bed.” Chanyeol tells him. “He’s not… He’s struggling.”

“Of course he is.” Yifan snaps. “It doesn’t matter how strong he is, how strong anyone might be, you can’t just bounce back from something like that. Minseok… He’s as human as the rest of us.”

“I know that.” He says and he can see Joonmyun and Jongdae watching on with wide eyes. “I know that and I still-. It hurts seeing him like this. He doesn’t deserve it at all.”

“No.” Yifan agrees. “But life has never been kind to him.”

“I’m going to change that.” Chanyeol promises him. “If it’s the last thing I do… I just want to make him happy.”

“Where do you live?” Yifan asks. “I’ll come around after work tomorrow.”

Chanyeol gives him his address before adding, “I’m sure he’ll be pleased to see you.”

“I’ll be around at about six.” Yifan tells him and then he pauses. “Chanyeol?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.” Yifan says around a huff of breath. There’s a small pause before he continues. “I mean, not just for this but for everything. Before he met you- only the boys could make him really smile. I know he was trying but he was heading down a dark road and I didn’t-. But with you, he’s almost like a different person. I know you guys have had your problems and there’s a couple of things that I really want to talk to you about but… But despite all that, you’ve made him happy- happier than I’ve ever seen him. So, thank you.”

Chanyeol doesn’t know what to say.

Yifan clears his throat, “tell Minseok I’ll be over tomorrow.”

“I will.” Chanyeol says and Yifan hangs up without even saying goodbye.

“That sounded… intense.” Joonmyun says.

“He was worried.” Chanyeol shrugs. “Wouldn’t you be if it was one of us not answering our phones?”

“Yeah.” Joonmyun nods. “I think I must go around Jongin’s at least once a month to make sure he’s not died.”

“I’m sure his mom would notice.” Jongdae frowns and pulls his phone from his pocket. “I should tell Yixing what’s happened.”

“You have his number?” Chanyeol asks.

Jongdae blushes, “and? He messaged me that night Minseok first called you.”

“No need to get so defensive.” Chanyeol tells him. “I was only asking. Still, two betas…”

“It’s not that uncommon.” Jongdae says. “Not these days.”

“It’s still frowned upon.” Chanyeol points out.

“Like you can talk.” Jongdae shoots back.

“Does it really matter?” Joonmyun asks. “If Jongdae’s happy then let him be.”

“I was- do you really think I care about that kind of thing? After everything that’s happened this summer?” Chanyeol slings his arm around Jongdae’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man.”

“It’s nothing concrete.” Jongdae leans into Chanyeol. “It’s still early days.”

“It’s something though.” Joonmyun says.

“Yeah, I know… Just don’t say anything to Jongin or Baekhyun – especially not Baekhyun – I want to be able to look at my phone without them breathing down my neck.”

“We won’t.” Joonmyun promises for the both of them. “Now are you going to come eat some dinner, Chanyeol? It’ll be stone cold by now.”

The next morning Chanyeol is awake before it’s even light outside.

His whole body aches from sleeping on the sofa, his lanky frame just being far too long, but he knows it’s more than just his body protesting against the uncomfortableness of his position that has forced him from sleep. Still, it takes him a couple of minutes to work out exactly why he’s awake when he’s still so desperately tired.

There’s noise coming from the kitchen and Chanyeol recognises the sounds of the dishwasher being loaded.

“Oh my god.” He grumbles even though he knows it’s too quiet for the person in the kitchen to hear. “Go back to bed already, it’s still too early.”

The noise continues and Chanyeol just can’t tune it out enough to fall back to sleep. He tries and tries but he gives up and pushes himself upright.

His eyes are still half closed as he stumbles into the kitchen so he doesn’t really work out who the culprit is until after he’s already spoken, “what’s with all the noise, man? I’m trying to sleep.”

The plate Minseok is holding slips from his grasp as he startles and it smashes on the tiled floor.

“Oh god, Minseok, I’m sorry.” Chanyeol says immediately, suddenly wide awake. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You’re going to have to start a tab.” Minseok tries to joke but his eyes are too bright, his voice too uncertain, to carry it off. “All I seem to do is break your things.”

“A plate and a glass hardly count for anything unless there’s something else that you’ve not told me- hey, stay still.” Chanyeol says as Minseok goes to take a step. “You’ll cut your feet if you stand on any of the shards. Let me go get the dustpan and brush so I can clean this up.”

Chanyeol rushes to the cupboard by the front door, not trusting Minseok to stay put, and grabs the dustpan and brush before jogging back into the kitchen.

“What are you doing awake anyway?” Chanyeol asks as he sweeps up the pieces of plate.

“I’ve slept so much in the last couple of days, I couldn’t sleep anymore.” Minseok tells him. “I checked on the boys and they were still sleeping so I decided I should make myself useful.”

“By cleaning up after us? With one arm?”

“It’s the least I can do after- after everything you and your friends have done.”

“You don’t owe us anything.” Chanyeol tells him. “And they’re your friends, too, if you want them to be. I’d probably give Baekhyun a trial run before committing to anything but, the rest of them, they’re okay. They like you, Minseok, and Kyungsoo and Sehun, too. They want to do what they can to help.”

“I…” He trails off and he avoids Chanyeol’s gaze.

“Just let them help.” Chanyeol says. “It’ll be easier that way for everyone. God knows they can be stubborn if they set their minds on something.”

“And what about you?” Minseok asks.

“I pick my battles.” Chanyeol tells him. “But I can out stubborn them all if I really put my mind to it. I just need to have something worth fighting for.”

“Like me?” There’s hope in Minseok’s voice.

“Like you.” He confirms. “I’ll always fight for you, Minseok.”

“Thank you.” He says. “That- thank you.”

“Don’t thank me.” Chanyeol says. “Not for that.”

Minseok doesn’t say anything. Chanyeol finishes sweeping the pieces of the plate up and together they finish loading the dishwasher. Minseok turns it on while Chanyeol empties the dustpan and returns it and the brush to the cupboard.

“Let’s make some breakfast.” Chanyeol suggests. “Then you can take some more pain medication. Your head must be hurting.”

“It is.” Minseok admits. “But not as badly as yesterday.”

Chanyeol switches the coffee machine on and pulls eggs and bacon from the fridge.

“Do you know what to do with those?” Minseok asks when he sees Chanyeol frowning at the food.

He snorts, “no. I can just about manage toast and then sometimes that’s a struggle.”

“I’ll talk you through it.” Minseok says.

Minseok is patient with him as he issues instructions and helps Chanyeol prepare the food as best as he can with just one arm. He leans into Chanyeol as he does but it’s never close enough to touch and Chanyeol doesn’t try to close the gap.

“Why did you sleep on the sofa last night?” Minseok asks once the bacon is sizzling. He sounds nervous and unsure. “Were you mad at me?”

“No, of course not.” Chanyeol assures him. “Of course I wasn’t mad. I just thought you’d want some space. You know, after everything that’s happened.”

Minseok stiffens, “I- I don’t… You should have asked me to sleep on the sofa. It’s your bed.”

“A couple of nights is hardly going to kill me.” Chanyeol says.

“A couple of nights?” Minseok repeats. “But I…”

“What?” Chanyeol asks in a soft voice when he doesn’t continue.

Minseok looks uncomfortable, shifting on his feet and his gaze fixed firmly on the floor, “but I want-.”

He stops and he coughs, making himself wince with the force of it, and he suddenly looks ready to cry.

Chanyeol’s eyes widen in shock and he’s left reeling at just how quickly Minseok’s mood has dropped away into nothing. He wants to reach out to comfort him, to hold him in his arms and tell him that everything’s okay, but he doesn’t. Minseok has been so skittish and he doesn’t want to make things worse.

“I want…” Minseok gasps as he tries to calm his breathing. He looks frightened and he shrinks into himself, hunches his shoulders and makes himself look small.

“What do you want?” Chanyeol tries to keep his voice even but he can’t help the worry that makes it wobble. “Tell me, Minseok. It’s okay.”

There’s a long moment where Minseok does nothing but fight back his tears and Chanyeol so desperately wants to tell him to cry, to let it all out, but he doesn’t dare when the omega is so obviously building up the courage to speak.

At last he whispers, “you make me feel safe.”

“Okay.” Chanyeol says and his heart and his mind race. “Do- do you want me to sleep in the bed tonight? Is that what you want?”

Minseok nods almost reluctantly and then grimaces, the colour leaking from his face.

“That’s fine, that’s good.” Chanyeol tells him quickly. “It’s okay for you to want that.”

“Okay.” Minseok murmurs.

“Don’t be afraid to ask, okay?” Chanyeol offers him a smile. “I won’t get mad, I promise. I just want to make you happy.”

“Okay.” Minseok says again and his eyes flick to the stove, seeming almost desperate to change the subject. “The bacon is burning.”

It isn’t but Chanyeol doesn’t point that out.

They finish cooking and Chanyeol splits the food between three plates while Minseok pours them both cups of coffee. They put Jongdae’s breakfast in the microwave and eat their own perched on the stools at the island. Neither of them really say much but it isn’t uncomfortable.

Chanyeol gets Minseok his pain medication and a big glass of water and he takes the pills and downs the water without saying anything. Chanyeol thinks he looks tired and he wonders how much sleep Minseok got the night before, if he got any at all.

“Let’s go watch some TV.” Chanyeol suggests and Minseok makes a small noise of assent.

They wander into the living room and Chanyeol collapses onto the sofa and his nest of blankets. He pulls them up over his legs and around his shoulders and doesn’t notice Minseok standing shock still a few paces away until he’s already comfortable.

“Minseok?” He asks and he follows Minseok’s gaze and his heart plummets.

The boxes.

“Our things.” Minseok says. “Everything- why is it here?”

But he knows, Chanyeol can see from the horror on his face. He knows.

“Baekhyun and I went to your apartment yesterday.” He explains, choosing his words carefully. “And your landlord was putting an eviction notice up on your door. He said you were a few months behind on your rent.”

“You spoke to him?” Minseok asks and he’s suddenly swaying on his feet. “What else did he say? Oh, god. Chanyeol, what did he say?”

“Nothing important.” Chanyeol lies as he fights his way free of the blankets. “Don’t worry about it, okay? He didn’t say anything important.”

Minseok staggers towards him and Chanyeol helps him onto the sofa, can feel him shaking as he burrows into Chanyeol’s side. Chanyeol pulls the blankets up around them and takes the contact from Minseok as permission to wrap his arm around his shoulders.

“What am I going to do?” Minseok whispers once the shaking has stopped. “I can’t afford anywhere else.”

“I can help you find somewhere else.” Chanyeol says slowly and his heart is thudding in his chest. “Or you can move in here. There’s space.”

“I’m not a charity case.” Minseok argues, his voice stronger.

“I know you’re not.” Chanyeol tells him. “I know that but it makes sense, doesn’t it? You want us to be together and I want that, too. It’s just moving quicker than either of us expected… But that doesn’t mean- I don’t expect anything from you. We can share a bed and live together but that doesn’t mean I want anything from you- not until you’re ready. Or if that makes you uncomfortable, you can sleep in the spare room if you want. Or I can.”

“But what about the boys?” Minseok asks. “Living with babies is a lot different from driving them around and seeing them a couple of hours every now and then. They’re hard work. Are you really ready for that?”

“I didn’t think so, not when I first found out about them.” Chanyeol admits and he thinks Minseok is testing him. He wants to show him he’s preparing to pass with flying colours. “But I know them now. And I know it’s not going to be easy, that I won’t be able to live my life as I had before- no more throwing parties or staying up all hours of the night playing video games with my friends. I know there’s still a lot to learn and I’m going to have to grow up. I know all of that but I still want to try. I love them.”

“They’re not yours.” Minseok says, his voice low, and his words hurt. “They’re never going to smell enough like you to make it look like they are.”

“It doesn’t matter what they smell like.” Chanyeol tells him and he hopes that Minseok can hear the sincerity in his voice. “And it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks or says. I’ll still love them and treat them like my own. We can still be a family.”

He hears Minseok take a sharp breath and he doesn’t understand. Minseok is gripping so tightly to his sleep shirt and he is pulling himself closer to Chanyeol, practically sitting on his lap, and it’s almost as if he needs something to hold onto in order to keep himself grounded, to prove to himself that this is real.

“A family?” Minseok repeats and his voice trembles. “You’d want that? With me? With the boys?”

And then Chanyeol thinks he gets it.

Minseok has been scared. He’s been scared that Chanyeol might hold the twins at arm’s length and never look to treat them like his own, that he might be resentful of them for always coming first. He’s been scared that they could never be what he’s wanted the most.

A family.

“I can’t think of anything I’d want more.” Chanyeol tells him and he doesn’t think he’s ever spoken any truer words.

“And what if I don’t- what if I can’t give you children of your own?” Minseok asks and he sounds scared. “What if we only ever have Kyungsoo and Sehun?”

“Then they’ll be enough.”

“Don’t you want your own?” Minseok asks.

“Yeah, of course I do.” Chanyeol nods and he squeezes Minseok’s shoulders. “But if it doesn’t happen then that’s okay, too. I love you, Minseok, and nothing is going to change that. It doesn’t matter what the future is going to bring, it’s not going to change how I feel about you.”

“Okay.” Minseok says and he sounds calmer now.

“I mean that, Minseok. I love you.” Chanyeol tells him. “Nothing is going to change that.”

Minseok doesn’t say anything but he yawns and then coughs.

“Get some sleep.” Chanyeol murmurs. “I’ll be here.”

Minseok leans his full weight into the warmth of Chanyeol’s body, lets the tension leak from his limbs, and he wraps a tentative arm around Chanyeol’s waist.

“I want us to share a bed.” Minseok says after a few minutes and his voice is thick with sleep. “I don’t want to sleep alone. I’m so tired of being alone.”

“Okay.” Chanyeol kisses the top of his head. “We can do that. Go to sleep. I’ll be here.”

It doesn’t take long for Minseok’s breath to even out and Chanyeol finds himself drifting off to sleep shortly afterwards.

He wakes hours later flat on his back with Minseok curled up on his chest and completely hidden under the blankets. He yawns and licks his lips and wonders why he’s awake when he’s so comfortable and warm and Minseok’s scent is the only thing he can smell.

He turns his head to the side and he jumps because Sehun’s face is only inches away from his own.

“Shit!” He shouts out of shock, startling Minseok awake and making Sehun cry. “Sehun! Oh, my god. You scared me!”

Minseok shrugs the blankets off and slides down onto the floor. He pulls Sehun onto his lap and the baby clings to him as he rubs at his back and cuddles him close.

“Sorry.” Jongdae says, walking over to them with Kyungsoo balanced on his hip. Both of them have spectacular bed hair and Kyungsoo is sucking on his pacifier and scowling. “I turned my back for one second and he was gone.”

“It’s okay.” Minseok says and Chanyeol can’t see his face but he thinks he’s smiling. “It was probably about time we were getting up anyway. Have they had breakfast?”

“No, they’ve just woken up.” Jongdae tells him.

“They should have a bottle first.” Minseok says.

“I know.” Jongdae gives him a bright smile. “I’ve already put the kettle on.”

“Oh.” Minseok says and Chanyeol can’t tell what he’s thinking. “Okay.”

The rest of the morning and the afternoon passes quickly. Jongin arrives with lunch and Joonmyun and Baekhyun show up within half an hour of each other sometime mid-afternoon. Sehun stays glued to Minseok’s side and cries whenever they’re separated. He’s inconsolable when Minseok goes for a shower, even with Chanyeol cuddling him the whole time he’s gone, and he spends the next couple of hours once Minseok is finished sitting on his lap and refusing to be moved.

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, seems to want nothing to do with him. He plays with Jongdae and Chanyeol and eats his lunch balanced on Jongin’s knee. He fusses and avoids Minseok’s touch whenever he reaches for him and Chanyeol can see how much it is hurting Minseok. But he keeps on trying even if Kyungsoo remains stubbornly aloof.

There’s a knock on the door approaching seven, just as they’re finishing dinner, and Jongin goes to answer as he’s the only person fully finished with his food.

Chanyeol watches him go as he chews his last mouthful and strains to hear the conversation taking place in the doorway over Baekhyun’s complaining and the twins’ babbling.

“Are you Chanyeol?” He hears someone ask.

He gets out of his chair, shooting Minseok a reassuring smile as he does so, and makes his way over to the front door as Jongin replies, “what’s it to you?”

“Look, you either are or you aren’t, kid.” The same voice replies and Chanyeol is almost certain he recognises it. “If you’re not then just say. We don’t have all night.”

“I’m Chanyeol.” Chanyeol says as he approaches the door and tries not to balk at the size of the two figures standing on the other side, both of them easily his height. “Who are you?”

“I’m Yifan.” The taller of the two, the alpha, says. “We spoke on the phone yesterday.”

“Is Minseok here?” His omega bondmate asks, peering around Jongin and Chanyeol. “I can hear the twins.”

“Yeah, we’re just finishing up with dinner.” Chanyeol says. “Come in.”

Jongin steps to the side and the omega immediately skips passed him and heads further into the apartment, following the noise he can hear the boys making.

Yifan enters and closes the door behind himself. He asks in a quiet voice, “how have they been doing?”

“They’re okay, all things considering.” Chanyeol answers honestly. “Sehun is being clingy and Kyungsoo is being stubborn but they’re okay.”

“And Minseok?”

“I think he’s getting there.” Chanyeol tells him with a frown, not sure how much he should say. “He’s just… He’s trying too hard to keep everything under wraps. There’s going to be a breaking point soon, I just don’t know when.”

“Sounds like Minseok.” Yifan says. “Just give him time.”

Chanyeol leads Yifan to the dining table, Jongin a step behind them both, and he’s surprised to see Minseok being engulfed in a hug and not even trying to fight it.

“Look at him, Yifan.” The omega says, his voice holding a slightly hysterical note. He pulls away from the hug and pushes Minseok a step in Yifan’s direction. “Look what that monster did to him.”

“Zitao, please.” Minseok murmurs, eyes flicking to Chanyeol’s friends sitting around the table. “It’s okay.”

“Like hell it’s okay.” Zitao tells him and suddenly he’s in front of Minseok again. His fingers ghost over the stitches on his hairline and then the almost black bruises on his throat. Zitao bursts into tears. “Oh, Minseok. We were so worried. When Yifan went to your apartment and found all the-.”

“That’s enough, Zitao.” Yifan cuts his bondmate off. “Leave him be.”

But then Zitao catches sight of Sehun and the cut on his forehead and his tears flow even faster, “Sehun!”

Sehun makes a noise that sounds almost like a squawk and he holds his arms up to Zitao, wanting to be picked up. Zitao obliges him immediately.

“Oh, Sehun, Uncle Zitao was so scared.” He murmurs, kissing Sehun over and over and making the baby squirm. “He thought he’d lost you.”

Zitao is so gentle with Sehun even though he looks so tiny in his arms, like if he squeezed too hard he could shatter him into a thousand pieces. Chanyeol wonders if that’s what he looks like when he holds the twins, too. He wonders if Minseok has ever worried about how small the boys are and how big he is. He doesn’t know how Minseok can trust him, trust any of them, with Kyungsoo and Sehun when they’re so small and breakable.

Yifan lifts Kyungsoo from his highchair and gives him a quick peck on the cheek, “hey there, kiddo.”

Kyungsoo lets out an excited squeal and grabs at Yifan’s nose and Chanyeol sees the hurt that flashes across Minseok’s face, even if he tries to cover it with a smile.

“I’m sorry to interrupt this heart-warming reunion.” Baekhyun says, letting his fork drop on his plate with a clang. “But who are these guys?”

“They’re my friends.” Minseok says, sounding almost timid.

Chanyeol quickly introduces Yifan and Zitao before listing off his friends.

“Do you want some dinner?” Jongdae asks. “We made extra so there’s plenty if you’re hungry.”

“If you’re sure then, yeah, that’d be nice.” Yifan says and he looks awkward. “I picked up Zitao straight from work, we didn’t have time to eat.”

“It’s no problem.” Jongdae beams. “Jongin, are you going to come help me?”

“Do I have to?” Jongin whines and pouts.

Jongdae rolls his eyes, “yes.”

Jongin lets out an exaggerated sigh and drags himself to his feet. Reluctantly he asks, “do you guys want a drink?”

“Water, please.” Yifan says.

“Do you have any soda?” Zitao asks, not looking away from Sehun.

“I’ll grab you a coke.” Jongin tells him.

“Take a seat.” Chanyeol says to Yifan and Zitao once Jongdae and Jongin have disappeared into the kitchen. Zitao is still distracted with Sehun so Chanyeol tries to make conversation with Yifan, not really knowing what to say. “Did you find the place okay?”

“Yeah, fine.” Yifan says and he takes Jongin’s empty seat.

“Where is it that you work?” Joonmyun asks, polite smile fixed firmly in place.

Yifan tells him and Joonmyun brightens even as Chanyeol rolls his eyes. He recognises the company name as one that Joonmyun has mentioned before. He can’t remember whether he said that his parent’s company had bought it or made a deal with it but that’s hardly surprising. He tries not to take too much of Joonmyun’s ‘work’ talk in. Still it sparks a conversation and Chanyeol’s relieved, even if that conversation is boring enough to make Baekhyun groan and Zitao to make faces. It’s worth it, though, to see the small smile tugging at Minseok’s lips.

There’s no lull in the conversation after that. Yifan doesn’t say as much as his bondmate but it doesn’t really matter because Zitao talks enough for them both of them. He’s bubbly and bright and he so obviously loves Minseok and the twins, Chanyeol can’t help but warm to him. He’s a little jealous, however, because Minseok accepts Zitao’s numerous touches without flinching away or showing any kind of discomfort.

Yifan is more awkward than Zitao, more reserved, but he fits in with the group well. He comes across as strong and steady and Chanyeol likes him. His presence is comforting and Chanyeol feels grateful that Minseok has had someone like him watching out for him these last couple of years.

Yifan and Zitao end up staying late, long after the babies have fallen asleep on Jongin and Minseok’s laps, and when they stand by the door ready to leave Yifan pulls Minseok into a long hug.

Chanyeol pretends not to hear him whisper, “you can always come stay with us if you want. Just say and I’ll come get you.”

“Thank you.” Minseok says and he catches Chanyeol’s eye as he speaks. “But I think we’re okay here.”

Chanyeol can’t help but grin.

“Look after him.” Yifan says once Minseok is distracted with Zitao.

“I will.” Chanyeol promises.

“And be patient with him.” Yifan continues, his voice gruff. “He bottles things up. It’ll come to a head eventually. You’ve just got to stick with him through it, help him as much as you can.”

Chanyeol nods and he feels a ripple of apprehension. He wonders just when the dam on Minseok’s emotions is going to break.  

He finds he doesn’t have to wait long.

The next day Minseok feeds Kyungsoo his lunch and the baby screams and avoids the spoon of baby food Minseok is trying to get him to eat. Chanyeol can see the hurt on Minseok’s face, can see the tears the building in his eyes, and he thinks this might be it.

He isn’t wrong.

Kyungsoo knocks the spoon from Minseok’s hand and it flies to the floor, splattering food everywhere.

There’s a moment of quiet and then Minseok bursts into tears.

Kyungsoo looks between the floor and Minseok before he, too, starts crying. Jongdae comes rushing in from the kitchen and Jongin looks over from where he’s feeding Sehun.

“What happened?” Jongdae asks.

“Can you finish feeding Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol nods his head at Minseok and Jongdae’s eyes widen.

“Yeah, of course.” Jongdae answers.

Chanyeol puts a hand around Minseok’s wrist and pulls him to feet. Minseok allows himself to be led to the bedroom and he sinks into Chanyeol’s arms once the door is closed.

“I’m sorry.” He gasps out around a sob.

“Don’t be sorry.” Chanyeol murmurs and he pulls Minseok closer and rubs circles on his back. “Just let it out. It’s okay.”

Minseok sobs even harder and Chanyeol has to keep him upright when his knees grow weak. He just keeps holding on, pressing kisses into the omega’s hair every few minutes and whispering encouraging words, and not letting go.

“He hates me.” Minseok chokes out and Chanyeol can feel him trembling in his arms.

“No, he doesn’t.” Chanyeol tells him. “Kyungsoo is just being difficult, he’ll settle down in a couple of days.”

“You don’t understand. He- I couldn’t keep them safe. I let them get hurt.”

“Minseok-.”

“He was waiting for me at the apartment. I could smell him but I thought- I just wanted to get us into the apartment. I thought I was imagining things. It was the middle of the day and I thought- I thought. But I heard footsteps as soon as I managed to get the door unlocked and I tried to get us inside but he-.”

“Minseok, you don’t have to-.”

Minseok ignores him, “I tried to fight him. I tried so hard. I could hear the boys crying and _I fought so hard_. I knew what he wanted and I told him no. I told him so many times. But he hit me and he _hurt_ me.”

Minseok is holding tightly to the front of Chanyeol’s t-shirt and Chanyeol doesn’t let his own grip waver. 

“I tried to fight him. I swear I did.” Minseok’s takes a shuddering breath. “The boys were crying so hard. I tried to get to them but he was too strong. He wanted me to submit. He tried to force me to bond with him and his fire hurt so badly. I felt like I was being burned alive.”

“Oh, god.” Chanyeol feels sick. “Oh, god.”

“But I didn’t want it. I swear I didn’t. I tried to fight him, Chanyeol, I promise. I didn’t want it. You believe me, don’t you?”

“Shit, of course I do. That- that man was sick. What he tried to do-.” Chanyeol is horrified.

“I told him no.” Minseok tells him. “I didn’t want him.”

“I know you did.”

“I wanted you and he knew that. It made him so angry. He told me you wouldn’t want me if you knew how much of a whore I was. He said he was going to show you how disgusting I was, how I would let anyone-.”

“That’s not true.”

“But it is, isn’t it?” And suddenly Minseok is pulling away and putting distance between them. “I’m so disgusting and weak. I couldn’t keep the twins safe. That’s all I wanted. Everything I’ve done, it’s been for them. I just wanted them to be safe but I wasn’t strong enough and now Kyungsoo hates me.”

“Kyungsoo doesn’t hate you.” Chanyeol tells him. “He’s a baby. He doesn’t know what hate is. He’s just had a shock and so much has changed for him in the last few days. It’s made him unsettled and grumpy. He’s just acting out, Minseok. He loves you. He’ll always love you.”

Minseok’s knees give way and he lands on the floor a tangled mess of limbs. He is sobbing so hard that his body is shaking with the force of them and he coughs and wheezes for breath. Chanyeol is by his side in an instant. He drops to his knees and pulls Minseok upright and hugs him to his chest. Minseok collapses against him and continues to sob. Time seems to drag by as Minseok cries and cries and Chanyeol worries he’s not going to stop.

He does though, eventually.

His sobs quieten into hiccupped breaths and his tears stop falling. His breathing slows and evens out and he lets his exhaustion claim him. Chanyeol is careful as he carries Minseok over to the bed. He settles him under the covers and curls up next to him and continues to hold him while he sleeps. He’s determined to let Minseok know that he’s not alone, that he never will be if Chanyeol can help it.

The next few days are better.

Minseok seems more like himself. He smiles more and lets himself be pulled into conversations with the others. He starts to answer back to Baekhyun’s jibes with ones of his own and lets Jongin and Jongdae pull him into hugs and fuss over him when his head is hurting particularly bad.

Sehun continues to cling and Kyungsoo, after having the shock of seeing Minseok burst into tears, seems desperate for his attention, too.

Life begins to settle. The twins start to laugh more and become more affectionate with Chanyeol’s friends. Sehun gives out kisses to everyone and demands kisses back from them in return. Kyungsoo drags them into silly games and giggles at the faces they pull.

They begin to feel like a family and it’s great. Chanyeol doesn’t think he’s ever been so happy and his jaw aches from just how much he’s been smiling and laughing.  

But that’s not to say that everything is easy because it isn’t.

Minseok has nightmares that pulls them both from their sleep and, as upset as he is, there are some nights when he just can’t stand Chanyeol’s touch. He gets frustrated with himself that he can’t do everything he is used to doing for the boys and he finds it hard to accept help from the others. He’s trying, it’s so obvious that he is, but he’s just so used to having to do everything himself that he doesn’t know when to ask for help and feels uncomfortable accepting it. Chanyeol knows why, thinks the others know, too, so he tries to be as patient as he can. It’s difficult because Chanyeol has a temper and Minseok has one, too, and sometimes they bicker or words come out harsher than intended and it hurts them both. It doesn’t change anything about how Chanyeol feels about Minseok and he makes sure to tell him he loves him whenever they share quiet kisses once they’ve both calmed down.

He thinks Minseok is starting to believe him.

Summer is crawling to a close and Chanyeol worries about returning to college in a couple of weeks’ time. He’s not sure how Minseok is going to cope and he worries that his friends’ timetables are going to clash so terribly that the omega is going to have to spend days alone trapped in the apartment.

And it’s not just that he’s worried about Minseok looking after the boys alone with his arm still being in a cast, he’s just not sure how he’s going to react to having no one but the twins around.

Because Minseok is restless. He’s not used to having so much free time and he doesn’t know how to just sit back and relax like the rest of them. He cleans and does laundry and spends hours going through Chanyeol’s apartment and putting everything in it into some kind of order, following a system that has a logic that Chanyeol doesn’t really follow.

He doesn’t unpack his and the twins’ meagre belongings from the boxes and anything that is removed – clothes, toys, other things for the babies – is put back away once it’s no longer needed instead of finding a home amongst Chanyeol’s things.

Minseok works himself up. He gets antsy when something doesn’t go his way or if he can’t get things just how he wants them to be and Chanyeol finds himself having to talk him down, to try and show him that it’s nothing to get upset about.

And Minseok does get upset. He hides tears behind shaking hands or muffles sobs behind closed doors and it breaks Chanyeol’s heart.

He knows that this is just Minseok working through the pain and the trauma of the last few years. He knows that it’s just the omega getting used to being able to show his emotions again after all this time. He knows this but it still hurts so much.

He tells Minseok it’s okay to be upset but he worries about Minseok being left alone without anyone there to talk him down from the edge.

Chanyeol talks to Joonmyun about college and classes and just how worried he is about Minseok being alone and the older alpha tells him not to think about it too much until it happens. He assures him they’ll figure something out, whatever happens, and Chanyeol thinks that his words help but they don’t alleviate all his worries.

It’s Saturday, nearly two weeks after Kyungsoo and Sehun were released from the hospital, and Minseok is napping on the sofa with both of the boys sprawled across his chest, fast asleep. Chanyeol is in the kitchen with Jongdae and they’re cleaning up after lunch while Baekhyun and Jongin are out running errands and Joonmyun is at the office.

“It’s the twins’ first birthday on Wednesday.” Jongdae says almost nonchalantly as he slots the last couple of plates into the dishwasher.

“How do you know?” Chanyeol asks because Minseok hasn’t said anything.

“Yixing told me.” Jongdae shrugs. “Do you think we should have a party for them?”

“I don’t know… After the last party we had here-.

Jongdae interrupts him, “this is a kid’s party. Strictly no alcohol allowed.”

“Try telling Baekhyun that.” Chanyeol mutters but his mind is whirring.

“Leave Baekhyun to me.” Jongdae says. He straightens and he nudges Chanyeol’s arm with his elbow. “What do you think?”  

“Yeah.” Chanyeol nods. “Yeah, I think it could work.”

There’s a thousand thoughts running through his mind but there’s only one that really stands out. He knows what he has to do. It isn’t going to be easy but he’s determined to try. Kyungsoo and Sehun deserve something special and Minseok- Minseok needs to see how serious he is about him and the twins.

How serious he is about everything.

He needs to show Minseok that he and the twins have a home here with him in the apartment. He needs to show Minseok that they can be a proper family.

It’s harder than he expects to keep it all a secret. He enlists the help of his friends and Minseok’s, too – Yifan and Zitao and Yixing, even Luhan, though they’ve never met – and he appreciates all the hard work they put into bringing his idea to life.

Still, even with all the effort they put into it, it’s difficult. He wants it to be a surprise but it’s so hard to keep from Minseok when they’re spending nearly all their time together. He’s just thankful that Minseok seems to still be catching up on sleep when he isn’t running himself ragged doing things around the apartment so that Chanyeol can order things online while he’s either sleeping or otherwise occupied.

And, after some encouragement, Minseok’s friends convince him to start going out again. Yixing drops by on Sunday and he and Jongdae take Minseok and the twins out for lunch. Yifan and Zitao come around on Sunday evening and Monday after they finish work and they take the boys and Minseok for walks or to the park and Chanyeol is so grateful for the time Minseok spends out of the apartment so he can start putting things into motion.

He’s not an idiot and he knows Minseok isn’t either. He knows that the omega has worked out that there’s something going on, no matter how hard they try to keep it secret, and he feels guilty whenever he sees the hurt on Minseok’s face.

He knows it’ll be worth it.

He makes sure to tell Minseok how much he loves him with such regularity that it makes Baekhyun gag and Jongin pull faces. He cuddles with him on the sofa or in bed whenever Minseok feels he can stand to be touched. But, still, Minseok starts to smile a little less, starts to become a little bit more hesitant, and Chanyeol feels horrible. 

On Tuesday morning, just after breakfast and one day away from putting his plan into action, Minseok asks if he can borrow some money.

“What do you need money for?” Chanyeol asks, following a couple of steps after Kyungsoo as he crawls into the living area. There’s a wide smile on the baby’s face, convinced that he’s making a speedy getaway. “Tell me what you want and I’ll get it for you.”

Minseok’s cheeks are flushed red and he refuses to look in Chanyeol’s direction. Still, he tries – and fails – to sound nonchalant as he speaks, “it’s the boys’ birthday tomorrow. I want to get them something- just something small. I’ll pay you back when…”

He trails off.

Chanyeol knows about the voicemail that had been waiting for Minseok on his phone when he’d been well enough to check his messages. He knows that he’s been fired from the showroom for not turning up to work the week before and, however much he’d explained and begged the showroom’s manager, Chanyeol hadn’t been able to do anything about it.

“You’ll find something.” Chanyeol tells him with a soft smile. “But until then don’t worry about it, okay?”

“I can’t keep living off you forever.” Minseok says as he pulls Sehun from his highchair.

“This isn’t forever.” Chanyeol reminds him and he grabs Kyungsoo before he can disappear behind the loveseat. “This is just for now. Wait until your arm is better and then you can start looking. There’s nothing wrong with having a rest.”

“Don’t talk to me like that.” Minseok suddenly snaps.

“Like what?” Chanyeol asks, ducking out of the way of Kyungsoo’s flailing fists.

“Like I’m a little kid.” Minseok tells him, his voice hard. “I’m not-. I’m not weak and I’m not broken. I don’t need to be wrapped in cotton wool. Just…”

“Just what?”

Minseok’s shoulders slump as the fight drains from him, “I just want everything to be normal again. I feel so useless, like I’m nothing but a deadweight dragging you down.”

Sehun pats at his face and he gets a watery smile in return.

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asks.

“You don’t go out anymore.” Minseok says. “You spend all your time and your money on me and the boys and what do you get out of it?”

“I get you.” Chanyeol points out. “I get a family. What else could I want?”

“You don’t mean that.” Minseok frowns.

“Why don’t I? Tell me, Minseok. Tell me why I don’t.” Chanyeol says. “Out of all the things I’ve done and said in the last couple of weeks, what is it that makes you think I don’t want you? That I don’t want the twins?”

Kyungsoo lets out a shout and wriggles in his arms but Chanyeol doesn’t put him down.

“Don’t you understand how happy you make me?” Chanyeol continues when Minseok doesn’t speak. “The three of you- you’re everything I never knew I wanted. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

“Then why are you pulling away?” Minseok asks.

“What?”

Minseok presses his lips together to try and hide the way his bottom lip trembles.

“Minseok, talk to me. Why would you think that?”

“Are you getting bored?” Minseok is close to tears. “Am I too much? The boys? Or am I not enough? Have I not given you what you want and you’re getting angry? I don’t want you to be angry with me.”

“I’m not angry and I’m not getting bored.” Chanyeol says and his voice is tinged with desperation. “I promise you that’s not it. I’m happy with you, happier than I ever think I’ve ever been or ever will be, I just- I’ve just been busy.”

Minseok’s face falls.

“I love you, Minseok.” Chanyeol tries.

“I’m going to call Luhan.” Minseok says, changing the subject and still looking hurt. “He doesn’t work on Tuesdays. I’ll see if he’s free to take me shopping.”

Chanyeol doesn’t know what to say so he doesn’t speak, not even when Minseok takes Kyungsoo from him, balancing him awkwardly on his cast, and the three of them disappear into Chanyeol’s bedroom.

“Shit.” Chanyeol hisses and his heart falls. “I’m fucking this up.”

Luhan arrives to pick up Minseok and the boys from outside the apartment just before half ten. Chanyeol gives the Kyungsoo and Sehun kisses once they’re strapped into the stroller and he gets enthusiastic, if not a bit slobbery, kisses in return.

“Here take this.” Chanyeol says to Minseok as the omega pulls on one of Chanyeol’s huge hoodies. He holds out a small wad of folded notes and Minseok takes it almost reluctantly. “It’s all I had in my wallet, it’s not much but you should still be able to get them something nice.”

“Thank you.” Minseok says and he tucks the money into his jean pocket.

There’s a brief moment of awkward quiet before Minseok steps forwards and buries his face into Chanyeol’s chest and wraps his free arm around his waist.

“I’m sorry about earlier.” He whispers as Chanyeol returns the hug. “I need to learn to trust you.”

“It’s okay, I understand.” Chanyeol murmurs into his hair. “You don’t have to apologise.”

“I do.” Minseok tells him. “Because you’ve done so much for me and Kyungsoo and Sehun and I’ve been so ungrateful.”

“No, you haven’t.” Chanyeol says. “You’ve been through a lot of shit and still acted better than Baekhyun and Jongin do most days. You have nothing to be sorry about.”

Minseok reaches up and presses his lips against Chanyeol’s in a chaste kiss before pulling away and offering Chanyeol a small smile, “thank you.”

Chanyeol’s own smile is blinding, “you should probably go before I’m tempted to kiss you again.”

“Like this?” Minseok asks and their lips meet once more but it’s for longer this time and it’s more heated. Minseok breaks away before Chanyeol can deepen the kiss.

“Yeah.” Chanyeol says and his chest is heaving. “Like that.”   

“I’ll message when I’m on my way home.” Minseok tells him.

“Okay.” Chanyeol nods and they kiss for a final time before Minseok and the twins leave.

Once he’s sure they’re gone, Chanyeol sends a message to the group chat he has with his friends and tells them that the coast, quite unexpectedly, is clear. Joonmyun is at the office but the others show up not long after and they get to work.

They move quickly, not sure how long Minseok is going to be out shopping with Luhan, and it’s hard going but Chanyeol finds himself not being able to concentrate on anything they’re doing. Minseok’s final words before leaving are repeating over and over in his head and he can’t work out what’s so special about it until it hits him like a tonne of bricks.

“Oh.” He breathes.

Minseok had called the apartment _home_.

“What’s up with you?” Jongin asks, elbowing him hard.

“Nothing.” Chanyeol says but he spends the rest of the day grinning like an idiot.

Minseok and the twins get back just after five and Luhan stays for dinner. Chanyeol doesn’t like him as much as Yifan or Zitao – which has nothing to do with the way the beta drapes himself over Minseok or the way that Minseok returns his smiles so easily and laughs at all his lame jokes, no matter how many knowing looks Jongdae sends his way – but the others like him well enough so it isn’t awkward.

Minseok is the one to snuggle into Chanyeol that night and Chanyeol can’t help but smile as he drapes an arm over his smaller frame.

“Are you feeling okay?” Chanyeol asks because it’s not like Minseok to initiate contact while they’re in bed. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Yeah.” Minseok says. “I just- Kyungsoo and Sehun are one tomorrow. I didn’t think… There were times when I thought that they wouldn’t make it to their first birthdays. Especially at the beginning. They were just so small and poorly and I hoped and I prayed and that they’d make it. And they did. They’re still here and they’re so strong and I love them so much. I can’t… I don’t have the words to describe how much they mean to me.”

“You don’t have to say anything.” Chanyeol tells him because he knows. He knows everything Minseok has done for them and he understands just what that means. “They’re perfect, Minseok. You should be so proud of them.”

“I am.” Minseok nods his head and he peers in the direction of the travel cot set up in the corner of the room. Chanyeol catches the smile that tugs at his lips as one of the twins snuffles and shifts in his sleep. “They’re one of the few things I’ve done right in my life.”

“Yeah?” Chanyeol asks. “What are the others?”

“Definitely not meeting you.” Minseok teases.

“Ouch.” Chanyeol says but he’s smiling, too.

“You’re such an idiot.” Minseok mutters but Chanyeol can hear the fondness in his voice.

“But I’m you’re idiot.”

“You are.” Minseok confirms and Chanyeol doesn’t think he’s ever heard him sound so happy, so carefree. “You’re my idiot and I wouldn’t swap you for anyone in the world.”

Chanyeol’s heart soars, “really?”

“Yeah.” Minseok murmurs and he doesn’t say ‘I love you’ but Chanyeol thinks he can hear it in his voice. “But I’m going to ditch you tomorrow, if that’s okay? Yifan messaged me while I was out with Luhan. He and Zitao took the day off from work, they want to take the boys out to celebrate their birthday. I couldn’t say no, not when they’d already booked the day off.”

“That’s fine.” Chanyeol feels a thrill run through him because this is part of his plan. “What time are they coming to get you?”

“Ten.” Minseok answers around a yawn. “You really don’t mind, do you? You could come with us if you wanted.”

“Go, spend time with your friends.” Chanyeol tells him. “I’m sure I’ll be able to find something to fill my time while you’re gone.”

The truth is, he’s so busy while Minseok and the boys are out the next day that he finds he doesn’t have enough time.

There’s just so much to do – preparing the food for the party, decorating his apartment with streamers and balloons and a banner as well as putting the last few things together for his ‘present’ to the boys and it is definitely this last job that takes the most time and effort – and even with the help of his friends and Yixing and Luhan, too, they nearly run out of time.

“Shit, shit, shit.” Baekhyun hisses as Chanyeol receives a message from Zitao to tell him they’re just pulling into his apartment block’s parking lot. “I haven’t wrapped my presents. Do you think I have time?”

Jongin snorts, “no.”

“They’re going to be here in a couple of minutes.” Chanyeol tells him.

“Does anyone have any gift wrap?” Baekhyun asks.

“Not enough to wrap those monstrosities.” Jongdae says.

Yixing is a little kinder, “just put bows on them. I’m sure they’ll look fine.”

“Where are the bows?” Baekhyun asks, his voice laced with desperation as he looks around the room and everyone and everything in it. “There’s two left, right?”

“I don’t know if there are any bows.” Yixing says with a shrug. “I haven’t seen any.”

Baekhyun lets out a loud groan, “then why did you suggest it in the first place?”

“I was just trying to be helpful.” Yixing tells him over the sound of everyone else’s laughter.

“No, you’ve just set me up to fail.” Baekhyun scowls. “Thanks, man.”

Baekhyun’s presents go unwrapped and without bows as everyone ducks out of sight behind the sofa and the love seat. Chanyeol is cramped between Baekhyun and Joonmyun and he throws annoyed looks at the former for breathing down his neck while the latter mutters about creasing his new shirt.

“Oh, my god.” He hears Jongin whisper from somewhere on his left. “I thought you said they were here?”

“That’s what Zitao said.” Chanyeol hisses back even as Jongdae tells them both to shut up.

Another minute drags by and then finally, finally, they hear the key in the lock.

“He gave you a key?” They hear Zitao say as the door is pushed open, his voice full of glee.

“Just so I don’t have to knock whenever I come back from somewhere with you guys.” Minseok explains. “His door is one of those that locks automatically after you close it.”

“That sounds suspiciously like an excuse to me.” Zitao says. “What do you think, Yifan?”

“I think you should mind your own business.” Yifan grumbles but they can all hear the smile in his voice. “If Minseok doesn’t want to admit to moving in with Chanyeol then that’s nothing to do with us. He’ll tell us when he’s ready.”

“I hate you both.” Minseok mutters and Chanyeol can imagine the blush rising on his cheeks. He changes the subject as someone closes the door. “Why are the lights off?”

“Maybe Chanyeol went out.” Zitao says, trying not to sound too excited but failing miserably.

“He’s such a bad actor.” Baekhyun whispers in Chanyeol’s ear.

“Take the boys through to the living area, we’ll grab the bags.” Yifan tells Minseok. 

“The curtains are closed, too.” Minseok says and there’s a wobble in his voice that Chanyeol doesn’t like the sound of.

“Now!” He calls just as Minseok flicks the lights on and they jump out of their hiding spots.

“Surprise!” They shout as one before falling into a clumsy rendition of ‘happy birthday’.

The twins start crying from the get go, the sudden noise startling them both, and Luhan, who is closest to the stroller, drops down in front of them and pulls silly faces as he continues to sing. Yixing and Jongdae join him but Chanyeol only has eyes for Minseok.

The omega had frozen at their shout, the colour draining from his face and his eyes widening, but he had started to smile as they had started to sing and Zitao had slung an arm around his shoulder. By the time they’re finished he is smiling so wide Chanyeol thinks his face might split in two.

“You planned this.” Minseok accuses as Chanyeol walks towards him.

Chanyeol grins, “of course I did.”

“And you were all in on it?” Minseok asks as he looks around the room.

“Maybe.” Luhan is wearing a grin of his own. He stands upright with an upset looking Kyungsoo in his arms and he wipes the last few tears from the baby’s face. “Though, we should have probably thought of something better than scaring the boys half to death.”

“They’re fine.” Yixing says and he’s balancing a still crying Sehun on one hip.

Jongdae smooths down the baby’s hair and plants a kiss on his cheek while Yixing watches on, fondly. He asks, “you’re okay, aren’t you, Sehun?”

He gets a pitiful sniffle in return.

“I can’t believe you did all this for the boys.” Minseok’s voice is full of awe as he takes in all the decorations they’d spent hours so painstakingly putting up. There are bunches of brightly coloured balloons stuck to the walls and red and yellow streamers hanging from every available surface in what Joonmyun had called overkill but Chanyeol found he really liked. The banner, though a little crooked, is the crowning glory and Chanyeol is proud because he had painted it himself. “This is… It’s amazing.”

“Well, they’re only going to get one first birthday.” Chanyeol shrugs and feels almost embarrassed. “I thought we should make it special.”

“Thank you.” Minseok breathes.

“You did a really good job.” Yifan compliments.

“Can we get to the present opening?” Baekhyun asks.

Jongin brightens, “they can start with mine.”

“No.” Baekhyun shakes his head. “Bigger is always better, they should start with mine first.”

“You didn’t even wrap yours.” Jongin points out. “What is there to open?”

“Can you not?” Joonmyun cuts in before they can really get going. “Let the boys choose what they want to open first.”

“Is this all for them?” Minseok asks with wide eyes as the others step aside and he finally catches sight of the mound of presents on the living room floor that they’d had to move the coffee table aside to make room for.

“Some of us might have gone a bit overboard.” Jongdae rubs at the back of his head, a bashful expression on his face. “But there’s so much cute stuff for babies- it’s hard to know when to stop.”

“You shouldn’t have spent so much money.” Minseok tells them even as Zitao drags him over to the presents.

“Don’t worry about that.” Yixing says. “Just enjoy today.”

Minseok, with the help of Zitao, Baekhyun and Jongin, ends up unwrapping most of the boys presents after the first few. They’re more interested in the cardboard boxes of Baekhyun’s present than the push along trikes that had been in them or any of the other gifts. Baekhyun still takes this as a victory and gloats so much that Jongin ends up punching him on the arm and both Jongdae and Joonmyun tell him to shut up.

Chanyeol sits by Minseok’s side and watches him carefully as each gift is revealed. He feels so humbled by the tears in Minseok’s eyes and the disbelief on his face and he wonders just what this means to him.

“Thank you.” Minseok says once everything has been opened – the almost wardrobe of new clothes, the books and the mountain of new toys piled up around him – and he hides his face in his hands. “Thank you, thank you…”

Chanyeol doesn’t think he’s crying but he pulls him into a hug anyway and Minseok clings tightly to him.

“Nyah!” Sehun shouts from where he’s sitting in one of the cardboard boxes.

“Dinner time.” Jongdae says. “Come on, the food’s already been set out.”

Jongin and Luhan grab a twin each while everyone else moves over to the dining table, Baekhyun grumbling about something and Zitao swinging from Yifan’s shoulders, but Chanyeol and Minseok don’t get up just yet.

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol whispers to him.

“Yeah.” Minseok says and he looks up to meet Chanyeol’s eyes. “This is fantastic. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to keep on thanking me.” Chanyeol tells him.

“I want to.” Minseok kisses him quickly on the cheek. “This is everything I could have ever hoped for for them. It’s more than that. It’s just- it’s perfect. Thank you, Chanyeol.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been hurting you the last few days.” Chanyeol says. “I didn’t mean to pull away or make you think I was getting bored. I just wanted to surprise you with something nice.”

Minseok’s whole face lights up, “it was because of this?”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol gives him a sheepish smile and Minseok throws his head back and laughs.

Once he’s caught his breath he crawls onto Chanyeol’s lap. Straddling him, he takes Chanyeol’s face in his hand and runs his thumb over Chanyeol’s bottom lip. His voice is tender when he says, “you idiot, you had me so worried.”

“I’m sorry.” Chanyeol replies as he meets Minseok’s eyes. “Forgive me?”

“Maybe.” Minseok is wearing a wicked grin. “Maybe not.”

But he leans in for a kiss anyway and Chanyeol meets him halfway.

Their lips collide and Chanyeol swears he sees stars. Minseok snakes his hand around Chanyeol’s head and he tangles his fingers in his hair while the arm in the cast gets caught between their chests. Chanyeol tries to pull Minseok closer as he deepens the kiss, feels Minseok moan into his mouth.

And then someone clears their throat and they jerk apart.

“If you guys have any room left after you’ve finished eating each other’s faces, your real dinner is waiting for you at the table.” Joonmyun says with a roll of his eyes.  

“Oh, god.” Minseok mumbles as his face glows bright red and Joonmyun retreats back to the table.

“Don’t worry about it.” Chanyeol says but he can feel the heat in his own cheeks.

It’s cramped around the table with a handful of people having to sit on fold out chairs but it isn’t uncomfortable. Chanyeol and Minseok sit next to one another and at the opposite side of the table to the boys in their highchairs. Jongdae has already put their bibs on and Yifan is putting together plates of food for them. Minseok watches as his sons are doted on and spoilt rotten by everyone crowded around the table and Chanyeol feels so light and warm and happy as they eat.

There’s a moment, after they’ve cleared everything away and Baekhyun and Jongin are in the kitchen sniping at each other as they light the candle on the cake, when Chanyeol catches Jongdae’s eye. They grin at each other and Chanyeol can’t help the surge of warmth that shoots through him. Because this…

This is perfect.

Minseok, the twins and all of their friends- it’s all Chanyeol had never realised he wanted, could never have imagined himself with only a couple of months ago. He doesn’t think there’s anything that could make him any happier and he’s just so grateful to everyone in the room, but Jongdae especially, for helping him down this path.

Tears prickle at his eyes and Minseok squeezes at his hand, “what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Chanyeol tells him. “I’m just happy.”

Minseok rests his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder, “you’re so soft.”

“And?” Chanyeol asks with a sniff.

“Nothing.” Minseok says. “I like it.”

“Good.” Chanyeol tells him. “Because I’m not planning on changing my ways.”

Minseok lets out a breathy laugh just as the lights are turned off and Jongin comes in carrying the cake.

They sing happy birthday once more and the twins blow out the candle with the help of a couple of the adults grouped around them before Jongdae cuts up the cake and passes them all a slice each. Kyungsoo and Sehun get chocolate and cream all over their faces and their hands and make a mess of their highchairs but it only earns them smiles and laughter. Baekhyun snaps photos of them using his phone and forces Minseok and Chanyeol to pose for a couple of photos, too.

Once they’re all finished eating, Chanyeol links his fingers with Minseok’s and pulls him to his feet.

“What’s going on?” Minseok asks as Chanyeol tugs him in the direction of the bedrooms.

“I never showed you my present for the boys.” Chanyeol says.

“Chanyeol…”

Chanyeol just shoots him a smile as he pushes the door to the spare bedroom open.

“What..?” Minseok trails off as he steps foot into the room and his jaw drops.

The room still smells faintly of fresh paint but Chanyeol hopes that another hour or two with the window open will clear it from the air. Still, despite that, he’s proud of the work they’ve done to the room and he desperately hopes that Minseok will like it.

Because the room looks completely different to what it had only days before.

The walls are now a pale yellow and the few framed prints that had been up have been replaced by bright wall stickers of jungle animals. There are two cribs where the bed used to be and a changing table and chest of drawers have been pushed against the wall opposite. There are a couple of extra rails in the closet to hang all the twins’ new clothes from and a wooden toy box between the cribs to store all their toys. Yixing had spent a couple of hours that morning painting the boys’ names above their respective cribs and Chanyeol is just so happy with how the room has turned out. It looks almost like something from a magazine.

Still, it’s not quite finished.

“I ordered a rocking chair, too, but it didn’t arrive in time.” Chanyeol says. “I thought it’d look cool next to the window.”

Minseok doesn’t say anything and Chanyeol can’t read the expression on his face.

“Minseok?” He asks and his heart is pounding madly in his chest. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”

And then he’s stumbling backwards as Minseok throws himself at him, wrapping his legs around Chanyeol’s waist and burying his head into the crook of his neck.

Chanyeol wraps his arms around Minseok and rubs circles on his back, “hey, don’t cry. What’s wrong?”

Minseok is sobbing too hard to formulate any words so Chanyeol just holds him tight as apprehension makes him regret the second slice of cake he’d eaten.

Finally, finally, Minseok’s sobs lighten and he plants rapid fire kisses on every inch of Chanyeol’s face, smearing tears all over Chanyeol’s skin, and Chanyeol thinks his smile, even if he catches nothing more than brief glimpses between kisses, is brighter than the sun.

“It’s perfect.” Minseok tells him. “Thank you, thank you.”

“I want us to be a family.” Chanyeol says. “I thought this would be a logical first step.”

Minseok snorts and gives him another kiss before wriggling free, “you’re such a perfect idiot.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.” Chanyeol replies and Minseok laughs despite the last few tears that roll down his cheeks.

They return to the living area where everyone else has now gathered, their fingers entwined, and they sit on the floor by the love seat. Sehun crawls over to sit on Minseok’s lap but Kyungsoo is enjoying Jongin’s attention too much to care much about what anyone else is doing.

Joonmyun puts a movie on and Baekhyun hands out beers to those who want them, even if Jongdae tuts and rolls his eyes, and Yifan and Yixing attempt to put together one of the trikes Baekhyun had gotten the boys.

Minseok leans his head against Chanyeol’s shoulder and cuddles Sehun against his chest and Chanyeol can’t help but feel like the luckiest person alive.

The movie ends and the others start to disperse as the boys begin to yawn and get grumpy. Minseok dresses them in two of their new sleepsuits while Chanyeol says goodbye to the last of their guests and clears up the empty bottles of beer.

“You can barely smell the paint anymore.” Chanyeol says, a fast asleep Sehun cradled in one arm, as he pulls the window of the babies’ room closed. “Do you think they’ll be okay to sleep in here?”

Minseok nods, “I can’t smell it at all so I think they’ll be fine.”

There are tears in his eyes as he settles Kyungsoo into his new crib but Chanyeol can see he’s smiling, too.

“I never thought-.” Minseok wipes at his eyes. “Their own cribs.”

“Will this be the first time they’ve slept alone?” Chanyeol asks as he sets Sehun down.

“It will be.” Minseok says as he pulls the coverlet up under Kyungsoo’s chin. “But they should be fine. They were getting too big for one crib anyway- they’ll enjoy the space.”

They kiss the twins goodnight and Minseok yawns as they exit the room, leaving the door ajar.

“We can wait until tomorrow to clean up if you want.” Chanyeol suggests as they stand in the hallway and consider their next move. “It’s pretty late.”

“Let’s go to bed.” Minseok smiles at him even if he looks exhausted and he pulls him into their room.

Chanyeol doesn’t even have chance to close the door behind them before Minseok is throwing himself at him, much as he had done earlier in the nursery.

“Today has been perfect.” Minseok breathes into his ear and Chanyeol feels a shudder run down his spine. “Thank you, Chanyeol. Thank you so much.”

Elation bubbles in Chanyeol’s chest and he twirls them around. Minseok laughs and tightens his grip but doesn’t tell him to stop so he spins and spins until he gets too dizzy and has to stop.

Minseok smiles as kisses a pattern down Chanyeol’s jawline and Chanyeol is so in love with him in that moment that he can’t help but pull Minseok against him even closer.

They share grins and then a brief kiss before Minseok says, “Chanyeol, what you did with the spare room…”

“You like it?” Chanyeol asks and Minseok drops his head down onto his shoulder.

“I love it.” Minseok says. “It’s perfect. I can’t even tell you how much it means…”

“It’s okay.” Chanyeol assures him. “I understand.”

“No.” Minseok shakes his head. “You don’t.”

And then the fire deep in the pit of his stomach flares into life, reacting to the heat of the flames he can feel rolling off Minseok, and he freezes.

“Minseok..?”

“Please.” Minseok whispers and he suddenly sounds desperate. “Please, I want this. I want you so much.”

Chanyeol lets Minseok’s fire swallow him whole and he revels in the burn as it melts him down into nothing. It feels like heaven as he floats in the flames and he doesn’t even notice when his knees give way and he and Minseok hit the carpeted floor.

All there is, all he knows, is the burn and the heat and Minseok.

Minseok, Minseok, Minseok.

He breathes in his scent and he smells himself in every lungful, his own scent so perfectly mixed with his omega’s.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the flames start to recede and Chanyeol thinks he would miss them if it weren’t for the way he can feel himself being rebuilt from the inside out. For every part of him that is slotted into place, he can feel a part of Minseok being fitted into the space next to it until there’s no room left.

He opens his eyes, feeling so full that he could burst, and Minseok’s wet eyes bore into his own.

They’re kneeling on the floor with the foreheads pressed against each other. Chanyeol’s hands are tangled in Minseok’s hair and Minseok is gripping so hard at his bicep that it hurts but he doesn’t care.

There are tears rolling down both of their faces but they’re happy tears.

The bond in his chest flares into life and he can feel his own love being reflected back at him through it. And it’s-. It’s amazing.

“Minseok…” Chanyeol whispers. “Minseok, I love you. Oh, god, I love you so fucking much.”

Minseok smiles and it hits Chanyeol then that this isn’t a magic fix. That there are still months, maybe even years, of hardship ahead. He knows that they’re going to fight and fall out and life isn’t going to be easy but he doesn’t care. Because he knows, too, that they’re going to kiss and make up and love each other through everything that happens.

He knows that will be enough.

Minseok, this bond and everything that they feel- it will always be enough.

Chanyeol presses a soft kiss to the corner of the omega’s mouth and Minseok sucks in a deep breath in response to the contact.

They stare at one another and it feels like the bond is singing with everything they’re feeling.

“I love you, too, Chanyeol.” Minseok says at last. “I love you so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the smutty epilogue to go :)


	10. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for your patience and for all your wonderful comments on the last chapter. There are a few that I still need to reply to and will try to do that in the next couple of days. 
> 
> Here is the epilogue. I hope it lives up to expectations- I usually avoid writing smut like the plague so I hope this is okay. There's also a tonne more fluff than I'm used to writing... Please let me know what you think!

Dinner is not on the table and the twins are not in bed when Chanyeol gets home from his evening class a couple of hours later than expected. He’s cold and wet and miserable from the snowstorm raging outside and more than a little annoyed at having to walk all the way from campus because his car is buried under a foot of snow.

Still, he can’t help but smile at the two tiny figures that appear before he’s even had chance to close the door behind himself. Kyungsoo lets out a squeal and crawls towards him while Sehun takes a few shaky steps before resorting to crawling, keen to catch up with his brother.

“Come here, you little monsters.” Minseok says and Chanyeol feels the bond in his chest flare at the sight of his bondmate. Minseok flashes him a bright smile and he grabs the twins before they can reach Chanyeol. This makes Sehun’s bottom lip wobble and Kyungsoo fights Minseok’s grip but he doesn’t relent. “Give your poor papa a chance to take his shoes off at least.”

Chanyeol feels a thrill run through him at Minseok’s words. It’s still new, being called papa, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable or forced. It just… It feels right.

There’s a grin on his face and a warmth in his heart as he makes short work of pulling his boots off before pressing cold kisses to the babies’ cheeks, making them squirm, “how are my favourite troublemakers?”

“Frustrating.” Minseok says with a good-natured roll of his eyes. “I’ve tried to put them down a dozen times but neither of them have wanted to settle.”

“Maybe they’ll sleep after a goodnight kiss from their papa.” Chanyeol teases, knowing how frustrated Minseok is at their recent habit of refusing to do anything without Chanyeol being involved somehow. “But not before daddy gives papa a big, wet kiss to warm him up.”

“Keep dreaming.” Minseok tells him but he kisses him anyway.

“You love me really.” Chanyeol smiles as they break apart.

“Yeah.” Minseok says and Chanyeol feels the heat radiating off their bond, warming him from the inside out. “I do.”

Sehun lets out a yawn and Chanyeol can’t help but give them both more kisses, “go get them into bed, I’ll be through in a minute. I just need to get changed into some drier clothes.”

Minseok pecks him on the cheek before leaving Chanyeol to peel off his sodden outer layers. It’s warm in the apartment, so much warmer than outside, so he doesn’t stop with just taking his coat and hat off. He strips down to his boxers and leaves his clothes in a heap by the door, already looking forward to the exasperated look Minseok will send his way when he finds them and the kisses he’ll ply the omega with until he’s forgiven, and goes in search of dry clothes.

The twins are not quite asleep when Chanyeol joins Minseok in their room. Sehun is already laid in his crib and fighting what looks to be a losing battle but Kyungsoo is still stubbornly awake. He’s cuddled against Minseok’s chest and sucking on his pacifier with a scowl plastered to his face.

Chanyeol smooths Sehun’s hair away from his face and gives him a kiss, resting his hand on the baby’s chest until his eyes finally slip shut and he falls asleep. Minseok stands next to him, rests his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder, and Chanyeol can’t believe that this is real.

He has a bondmate and a family and he’s happier than he’s ever thought was possible.

“Do you want to take Kyungsoo?” Minseok murmurs once they’re sure Sehun isn’t going to stir. “I’ll go get your dinner ready.”

“Sure.” Chanyeol’s voice is nearly drowned out by the sound of his stomach rumbling. “I hope he doesn’t take too long to settle tonight, I’m starving.”

“It shouldn’t take too long.” Minseok passes him Kyungsoo and the baby rubs his nose into Chanyeol’s neck as he relaxes into his arms. “He’s just being stubborn at this point.”

Minseok gives Kyungsoo a kiss on the cheek and then ducks out of the way of one from Chanyeol, a mischievous smile lighting up his face, and he exits the room but not before blowing Chanyeol a kiss from the doorway.

Chanyeol muffles a laugh into Kyungsoo’s shoulder and the baby grumbles at the noise.

“I’m sorry.” Chanyeol whispers to him. “Your daddy is just so silly sometimes. I have to laugh, Soo. I have to because I think I’d do myself permanent damage if I rolled my eyes every time he said or did something dumb.”

He takes a seat in the rocking chair by the window and sets them into motion, hoping it will be enough to get Kyungsoo to drop off.

“Besides, that smile he wears whenever he thinks he’s said something funny – you know the one, don’t you, Soo? – it’s… It’s just beautiful. It makes my insides twist up and my heart feel like it’s going to burst right out of my chest.”

Kyungsoo snuffles and yawns and shifts in Chanyeol’s arms.

“I didn’t think… After everything your daddy has been through and everything that happened, I didn’t think I’d ever get to see that smile again. How do you smile again after something like that? How do you pick yourself back up and keep on living? I don’t think I could. I don’t think I’m strong enough.

“But we’re both so lucky, Kyungsoo, because your daddy just keeps on trying anyway. He keeps on going like he doesn’t know how to give up. And we’re so lucky because he’s so full of love. He loves you and Sehun so much, I can feel it every time he looks at either of you. He loves you more than anything. And I don’t even know how he has any love left over for me but he does. He does and I feel so lucky every single day that I get to wake up next to him.

“You’re going to think I’m being soft.” Chanyeol murmurs as he presses a kiss into Kyungsoo’s downy hair. “But your daddy is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love him so much.”

He can feel the bond flare in his chest and receives an answering spark of warmth from the other end. He grins as he looks down at the now sleeping baby and gives him another kiss.

“Sometimes I think I’m the luckiest man alive.” Chanyeol tells him and Kyungsoo smacks his lips in his sleep.

He settles Kyungsoo into his crib and gives both twins a parting kiss before making his way into the kitchen.

Minseok is by the stove, stirring the contents of an impossibly large pan. There’s a look of concentration on his face that Chanyeol can’t help but find adorable. Not that he’d say that out loud, knowing how much of a tongue lashing he would get if he did, but he feels fairly safe thinking it.

He sneaks up behind his bondmate and wraps his arms around his waist and buries his nose into the softness of Minseok’s hair. The omega flinches at the touch before relaxing back against Chanyeol’s chest.

“Are you still cold?” Minseok asks.

“Freezing.” Chanyeol tells him. “Will you help me get warm?”

“Maybe.” Minseok teases as continues to stir the contents of the pan. “Or maybe I’ll let the stew warm you up.”

“Did you make it? It smells really good.” Chanyeol’s stomach rumbles once more. “How did you distract the boys long enough to put it all together?”

“I had a bit of help.” Minseok shrugs. “Joonmyun came around after he finished class.”

“Oh?”

“He’s still trying to convince me to be his PA when he starts at his parents’ company full time in the summer.” Minseok says and Chanyeol can hear the uncertainty in his voice. “I don’t get why he thinks I’d do such a good job. I’ve never done anything like that before.”

“I’ve told you before, you’d be a great PA. You’re organised to the point of actually being a little bit scary and you don’t put up with any of his shit. You’re pretty much made for the job.” Chanyeol’s voice is full of encouragement. “And you know Joonmyun, you know what kind of guy he is. He’ll be a good boss.”

“I like my job at the coffee shop.” Minseok mutters but Chanyeol knows he’s considering it.

“You’ve got plenty of time to think about it.” Chanyeol reassures him. “And if you decide you don’t want to do it then that’s completely fine, too. Joonmyun won’t be mad.”

“And you?” Minseok asks, his gaze fixed firmly on the bubbling stew. “It’s a lot of money. Wouldn’t you be mad if I turned it down?”

“No, of course not.” Chanyeol ducks his head and kisses down the length of Minseok’s neck. “I just want you to be happy.”

“Okay.” Minseok breathes before he changes the subject. “Go get yourself a bowl, dinner’s ready.”

Chanyeol eats sat in front of the TV while Minseok tidies up the mess the twins had made earlier. He can’t really concentrate on what’s happening on the screen when Minseok is stomping around the room and mumbling to himself under his breath. He’s watching carefully so he sees the face the omega makes when he spots the pile of discarded clothes by the doorway. Chanyeol smiles widely at the glare Minseok sends his way.

“I’d have picked them up later.” Chanyeol tells him as Minseok scoops up the clothes.

Minseok rolls his eyes, “no, you wouldn’t. You forget I know you and all your bad habits, Park Chanyeol.”

“I’d hardly call trying to get a rise out of my adorable bondmate a bad habit.” Chanyeol shoots back, shit-eating grin fixed firmly in place.

Minseok scowls at him and marches from the room without another word.

“Oh, fuck.” Chanyeol mutters and his eyes widen.

He knows he’s completely misread Minseok’s mood and that he’s going to have to apologise for putting his foot in it. Again. He pulls himself to his feet before rushing after Minseok, his nearly empty bowl left on the coffee table and his heart hammering.

Things have gotten easier the longer they’ve been together, the more they’ve gotten to know each other, but there are still times when Chanyeol will say the wrong thing or Minseok’s good mood will suddenly fall away into nothing and it’s difficult. Chanyeol does what he can but he’s not always the best at picking up on the subtleties and Minseok is still worried about reaching out for comfort and struggles to put what he’s feeling into words those times that he does.

Still, they’re both trying and they’re both learning and it’s getting better.

But there are days like these when Chanyeol has no idea what has set Minseok off- if it is just something as simple as Chanyeol leaving his clothes on the floor or if there’s something else on the omega’s mind. All he wants to do is put Minseok back on the right course before he falls into a downward spiral that can takes hours, if not days, to come out of. He doesn’t want Minseok to withdraw into himself again, not when they have been so playful and teasing since Chanyeol has gotten home.

He reaches out with the bond as he trails Minseok into the bedroom and isn’t surprised when he’s met with cold instead of the usual heat. He’s still hurt but he isn’t surprised.

“Minseok,” he starts as the omega dumps the clothes in the laundry basket, “I’m sorry, I didn’t-.”

“Shut the door.” Minseok cuts him off.

Chanyeol does as he’s told and worry bubbles in his chest.

“Minseok, please.” He tries again. “I’m sorry-.”

This time he is cut off by Minseok’s lips crashing into his own and his mind is left reeling as the bond flares into life once more.

Chanyeol pulls back for air, “you’re not mad?”

“No.” Minseok is nipping and licking along the length of Chanyeol’s jaw and the alpha can feel himself getting hard. It’s almost embarrassing how eagerly his body reacts to Minseok’s touch. “But you do that again and…”

Chanyeol groans as Minseok’s hand slips into his boxers and his small fingers stroke at his length. Somehow he manages to gasp out, “and what?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.” Minseok whispers into his ear before pulling away completely and stepping out of Chanyeol’s reach.

Chanyeol’s chest heaves and he feels cold without Minseok’s body pressed against his own.

“Shit, Minseok.” Chanyeol says breathlessly. “You’re such a fucking tease.”  

“Am I?” The omega shoots him an innocent smile as he goes to take a seat on the bed.

“You know you are.” Chanyeol huffs as he palms at his throbbing dick through the cotton of his boxers.

“Come here.” Minseok says and Chanyeol immediately moves to stand in front of him. Minseok plays with the waistband of Chanyeol’s boxers with his hands even as he brushes his lips against the bulge concealed beneath the thin fabric. He looks up at Chanyeol as he slowly pulls the boxers down passed his hips. “I always take care of you in the end, don’t I?”

They lock eyes as Minseok continues to pull Chanyeol’s boxers down and Chanyeol can feel his erection pulsing even as his heart races.

“Don’t I always take care of you?” Minseok asks and his breath is cool on Chanyeol’s skin.

He is running his hands up and down the soft skin of Chanyeol’s backside and he smirks at the shiver that runs up the alpha’s spine.

“Yes.” Chanyeol chokes out. “Yes, you-.”

He cuts himself off with a moan as Minseok takes the head of his cock into his mouth, his tongue running over the tip and making Chanyeol shudder. Minseok sucks and licks before taking Chanyeol’s full length in his mouth.

“Oh, shit- fuck.” Chanyeol tangles his fingers in the omega’s hair but he doesn’t do more than that. They’ve done this more than enough times now for Chanyeol to know how uncomfortable Minseok feels when control is taken away from him. “Minseok, shit!”

Minseok pulls him closer, his fingers digging into Chanyeol’s ass cheeks, and he starts to move quicker. He jerks his head up and down, taking all of Chanyeol in with each descent, his nose brushing against the soft skin of Chanyeol’s stomach, and he doesn’t slow his pace even when Chanyeol twitches and bucks.

Chanyeol knows he’s getting close. He can feel the familiar warmth building in his belly as his legs begin to shake, feeling more and more like jelly the longer Minseok keeps on going.

“Min, babe- oh, fuck.” Chanyeol gasps. “I’m nearly there.”

Minseok pulls off with a wet sounding _pop_ and Chanyeol nearly loses it at the sound. There’s drool and pre-cum dripping down his chin from his swollen lips and his hair is so wonderfully mussed. Chanyeol can’t help the flutter he feels in his chest.

His dick is throbbing so much it hurts and he goes to finish himself off but Minseok bats his hand out of the way before he can even touch himself.

“Minseok…” He moans.

Minseok smiles and presses a kiss against Chanyeol’s hipbone. Chanyeol jerks and hisses as Minseok’s mouth moves to his throbbing erection once more. The omega sucks at the head, ignoring the way Chanyeol’s legs tremble, and Chanyeol is so, so close.

“Fuck!”

Minseok pulls away when Chanyeol is on the brink of coming.

“Minseok-.” Chanyeol nearly growls, frustration building in his chest. He’s so hard, so close, and it _hurts_. “Please, just let me-.”

“I want you inside of me.”

“What?” Chanyeol blinks.

Despite the months bonded to one another, they’ve never gone that far. Chanyeol has wanted to, has been desperate to at times, but he has always let Minseok call the shots. He’s always been happy only going as far as his bondmate has been willing to go.

“Please, Chanyeol.” Minseok murmurs, fingers ghosting up and down Chanyeol’s length. “I want you to fuck me.”

Chanyeol doesn’t need to be told twice.

He strips himself of this t-shirt and kicks off his boxers as Minseok shuffles his way further up the bed. Chanyeol joins him within seconds and immediately they seek out each other’s lips.

“Why are you still dressed?” Chanyeol asks as he nips at the sensitive spot on Minseok’s neck, just under his ear. “That’s not very fair.”

Minseok shudders, “then do something about it.”

Chanyeol pulls Minseok’s t-shirt off first and he can’t help but smile when he sees the expanse of soft skin, only marred by the long scar low on his stomach from his caesarean section he’d had with the twins, because the difference to just a few months ago is huge. Minseok is still skinny but Chanyeol can no longer count his ribs or see his hipbones protruding from beneath paper thin skin.

“What are you smiling at?” Minseok asks with a huff.

“You’re just so beautiful.”   

Minseok rolls his eyes even as he pulls Chanyeol in for another kiss, “you’re so dumb.”

Chanyeol waits until the need for air becomes desperate before he breaks away, “but you love me anyway.”

“Yeah.” Minseok smiles at him. “I love you.”

They work together to rid Minseok of his sweats and boxers and, once he’s fully undressed, they grind their erections together. The contact makes lights flash across Chanyeol’s vision and they both moan and pant.

“There’s lube and condoms in my top drawer.” Minseok nods in the direction of his bedside cabinet.

“Did you plan this?” Chanyeol asks, reaching over to grab them.

“They’ve been there for weeks.” Minseok says as he shifts on the bed. “It’s just never felt right before.”

“We don’t have to now.” Chanyeol tells him even though he wants nothing more than to sink into Minseok’s warmth. “Not if you don’t want to.”

“I want to.” Minseok assures him but the expression on his face tells Chanyeol he’s still uncertain.

“I’ll go slow.” Chanyeol promises. “Just tell me if you want to stop and I will.”

Minseok tenses and gasps when the first of Chanyeol’s lube coated fingers pushes into his entrance. Chanyeol stops immediately and throws Minseok a worried look.

“Keep going.” Minseok hisses.

Chanyeol slowly inserts his finger the rest of the way and gives Minseok time to get used to it before he starts to move it in and out.

“Is this okay?” He asks.

“Yes.” Minseok nods, his eyes squeezed shut. “Yes, just- please, keep going.”

Chanyeol adds a second finger and makes sure Minseok is totally comfortable with that before adding a third. Instinct is telling him to bury himself deep in the omega as quickly as possible and to fuck him hard and fast but he doesn’t give into the primal part of himself. He needs to be careful and slow, he needs to make sure Minseok enjoys this.

“Does this feel okay?” Chanyeol asks.

“Yes.” Minseok groans. “Please…”

Chanyeol curls his fingers and Minseok writhes and moans. His cheeks are flushed pink and there is sweat beading on his brow.

Chanyeol has never seen him so undone.

He looks beautiful.

“I think you’re ready.” He murmurs, leaning forwards and capturing Minseok’s lips with his own.

Minseok nods and he curls his arms around Chanyeol’s neck, pulling him close, and he lets out a loud moan when Chanyeol removes his fingers.

“Please,” Minseok moans, not letting Chanyeol go as he slips the condom on and lines himself up at his entrance, “please, Chanyeol. I want- please.”

Chanyeol pushes in slowly, so slowly, and he watches Minseok’s face carefully as he does so. He stops as soon as he sees pain flash across Minseok’s face.

“Are you okay?” He asks and his whole body is shaking. It is taking everything he has to stop himself from pushing the rest of the way in.

“It hurts.” Minseok grunts and he shifts slightly. Chanyeol’s hips jerk in reaction and Minseok bites his bottom lip. “You’re so fucking big, Yeol.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No, fuck, no.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

Minseok hooks his legs around Chanyeol’s hips and tries to pull him closer but Chanyeol doesn’t let him. Instead he keeps up his excruciatingly slow pace until he is fully sheathed within the omega. And Minseok’s heat, his scent… It’s driving Chanyeol wild.

He wants to pound into Minseok, wants to make him scream and squirm in pleasure but he holds himself back.

“Is this okay?” He asks as he begins to withdraw before pushing back in.

Minseok moans and nods his head, “faster, please…”

Chanyeol moves quicker but not as quickly as he really wants to. He leans down and kisses Minseok and the omega immediately slides his tongue into his mouth, tries to pull him closer.

“Minseok…” He breathes into the space between them.

Chanyeol catches a flash of a smile before suddenly Minseok flips their positions. He straddles Chanyeol’s hips and pulls himself upright and Chanyeol is still so firmly buried within him.

“Oh, fuck, fuck.” He hisses.

Minseok very slowly grinds down and Chanyeol jerks and bucks.

“Is this okay?” Minseok teases breathlessly as he lifts himself up and then slams himself down.

Chanyeol nearly swallows his tongue as he chokes out, “yes, fuck. Minseok, please…”

“And what if I do this?” Minseok asks around a moan, quickening his pace and making Chanyeol see stars.

All Chanyeol can do is nod and watch Minseok ride him, loosing himself in the sight and the sensation. It is… It’s better than Chanyeol could have ever imagined. Minseok’s scent – their scent – is so strong that he can taste it. Their moans are nearly swallowed up by the sound of their bodies crashing into one another and it’s so, it’s so-.

Chanyeol lets out a growl and he lets the alpha in him free.

He moves so quickly that Minseok falls off his lap and Chanyeol immediately misses his heat. Minseok’s eyes are half-lidded and there’s sweat rolling down his face as he cocks his head to the side and quirks his eyebrow at Chanyeol. He looks less than impressed.

Chanyeol pounces on him.

In one swift move, he has Minseok’s legs hooked over his shoulders and is buried to the hilt once more.

He thrusts into the omega furiously and Minseok meets his every movement.

Chanyeol’s moans sound more like growls bubbling deep in his chest and he feels so wild, so primal.

Minseok moans his name and twitches when Chanyeol begins to pump at his dick, trying to match the speed of his thrusts but not quite managing.

“Chanyeol, there, oh- _fuck_.” Minseok’s mouth falls slack and his eyes roll back in his head and Chanyeol knows he’s hitting that special spot deep within him. He keeps his hips angled just right and tries to hit it with every thrust. “Yeol, I-.”

Minseok spills across their stomachs and Chanyeol’s hand and the clenching of Minseok’s muscles as he rides his orgasm has Chanyeol coming with a shout.

He manages a couple more thrusts before his vision whites out and he collapses down onto Minseok. His whole body is trembling and his nerves feel like they’re on fire as burst after burst of pleasure rocks through him. The bond feels like a raging inferno and its swallowing them both whole and Chanyeol has never felt anything like it in his entire life.

It’s almost overwhelming.

Minseok strokes his hair and plants a kiss on his sweaty forehead as the sensation starts to fade.

“I love you, Chanyeol.” He says and Chanyeol can feel through the bond how much he means the words.

“I know.” Chanyeol can hear the rapid beating of Minseok’s heart from where his ear is pressed against his chest. “I love you, too. I always will.”

“Do you promise?” Minseok asks.

Chanyeol catches a twinge of uncertainty and he immediately opens himself up to Minseok – lets him feel just how much he is loved, lets him feel the promise of forever – and the uncertainty disappears.

He knows it will be back but he doesn’t mind. If he has to remind Minseok just how much he is loved and wanted every day for the rest of their lives, he will gladly do it. Minseok deserves that. He deserves everything Chanyeol can give him.

“Yeah.” Chanyeol says. “I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. This fic is now finished!


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